CELLERGEDDON
by Rocinante
Summary: To preserve. To persevere. To Survive. The fifth and final installment in the Celler Series.
1. A Frayed of the Dark

Dearest Readers and Reviewers,

Most readers of any series, and I'm sure nearly every author of a series, is aware of the effect that original characters created within that series can have on one's creative juices – especially if you've gone through the ride of emotion, setback and triumph along with them by reading – just as much, and even more so if you're the one who laid their every step through the twists and twirls of that thrill-ride through writing.

That said, I will be the first to admit that my time spent creating and writing in the "Hodgeverse" through the four stories preceding this one – Anything is Possible, Life with Kim, Steel Swan, and Gleam Surge – was nearly as emotional and rewarding for myself as the resulting literary journeys had been for the Hodge family. It was certainly every bit as memorable. Most places you carry deep memories away from are like that. And places like that sometimes have an unexplainable, inexorable draw that almost seems to hold out its hand, attempting to call both author and reader back in for one more round of memories.

With that, allow me to once again extend my mind's hand through my keyboard – join your hands with theirs – and lead you (and them) on what I can but hope will be yet another memorable journey – at least as memorable as those which came before it…

As has been the case with the other stories in the Celler Series, reading the newest one without having gone through those preceding it will make the story you're reading seem a bit disjointed, out-of-place, and will probably make little sense, without first acquainting oneself with the threads that have woven the tapestry upon which the most recent chapter is nestled. This is not a limited-time offering; this story will still be here if you stop, go back, and read the stories that came before it. I promise. It will not only make the plot points presented here much more tangible – it will make any small references and the overall experience much easier to comprehend and digest.

And, as has always been throughout the entire Celler Series, Kim Possible and related established characters from the show are the property of Disney. All original characters within these stories, the premises and plotlines of the stories, and the concepts and terms of "The Hodgeverse," "The City of Eastgate, Pennsylvania," The Cross," "The Cross Agents," "The Resonance Conduit," "Cellers," "The Celler environment," "Fleshers," and "The Flesher environment" are created and owned by myself.

While I happily offer to my readers another insight into life in the "Hodgeverse," I feel I must also attach a caution to this one. The underlying premise behind every story in the Celler Series to this point has been one of "What if," placed within a mostly lighthearted atmosphere. Such is likely not to be the case when summarizing this installment.

Even in the somewhat remote possibility of more Hodgeverse/Celler stories in the future, this one will most likely have little worry of losing its prospective title as the darkest chapter in this Series – hence the following disclaimer…

_**WARNING: This story contains scenes of a graphic and violent nature. Contains scenes of character death. Reader discretion is advised.**_

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

**CELLERGEDDON**

**1. A Fray(ed) of the Dark**

Pennsylvania State University  
University Park, PA  
Campus Dormitory Building 6-A  
2nd Floor  
Sunday, April 6th, 2025  
8:37 PM.

Heya Hi 'Rent-Units (that's you, Mom & Dad)!  
It's all about a frantical wave and wide toothy grin from your college-replanted  
daughter (the only daughter you have in college right? Right? ha ha)!

Before you start being 'rents, let me start being all about explain. I know that  
getting something in the snail can be all about freak, 'cause it's usually bad  
news—but I also know that you probably miss doing the e- and v-mail thing  
several times a week, so here I am sending you something to keep in touch. At  
least the snail is way less expensive than phone calls, right? Believe me, having  
all the mail servers across campus down for over two weeks is causing more  
grief than just communication. None of the electronic notepads in the classes  
work, so there's no transfer access back to the terminals in our rooms—we have  
to write out notes and assignments and quizzes and everything else by hand and  
enter it later!

On the bad – it's all about a new generation of writer's cramp. Undergraduate  
work is hard enough without having the normal tools to work with. And to add  
to that, we've even had a couple of power blackouts in the past couple of weeks,  
thanks to the pranking frat-brats two buildings over (before you ask, yes we've  
reported them to campus police, but they haven't found any proof yet that they  
did anything). On the good – sales of pens and paper in the campus store is  
through the roof! In fact, working at the store is how I got such an ulti-hot  
discount on the little laptop word processor I'm typing this on (of course, having  
the diamond roomie Monique as an assistant manager in the store to get your  
diamond daughter on the payroll there is worth mentioning (yep, I got the job,  
ha ha). Moni's Business Management major is paying off big-time already!).

Speaking of Monique, she just waved a "hi" to you guys on the way to the stove  
to boil some water for tea. I tried to get Frannie to wave too, but I barely got  
"meh" from her. She's all about shoulders-deep in her computer screen on her  
thesis project for her Graphics Design class. She wants to get it done early so  
she'll have time for the big cram for semester finals in June. She told me that when  
I write this, to tell you to tell her mom hi and that she's doing good, except for  
having to save stuff to mini-disc and send it to her professors by snail courier  
instead of sending it through email. She also said to tell her mom that she hasn't  
run away with anyone—yet, he he.

I know I keep saying this, but I have to say it again 'cause it's all about for true  
– college life is a bright diamond for all three of us in our second year—even  
for Rufus. Bringing him along was definitely one of my good decisions. While  
we're at classes all day, he keeps himself busy tidying up around the place, and  
even putting our books and stuff in order during our morning battles to escape  
Planet Sleep Haze and get to class on time. And Rufus always knows where the  
flashlight is when the lights go poof. Another good thing about having Rufus on  
campus? It's one of the easiest ways to make sure that any party we have in the  
building is strictly non-alcoholic. There are usually Cellers at most functions on  
campus (by the way, another 6 gained admission for this fall's classes!), but Rufus  
is almost like the mascot of our building. Everybody just loves him and nobody  
would think about any harm to him. Of course, having two Black Belts on hand  
takes care of any other party security—HA HA!

Zach said to say hi too when I wrote, BTW. It's all about extra diamond that he  
came to Penn St. from the dojo. He's almost like my instructor-away-from-home  
to keep me up on my Kempo. He's a lot easier to work with than the instructors  
on campus, because he knows my style so well, and knows what I want to work  
on. He doesn't try to force any "by the book" regimen on me because he knows  
my strengths and weaknesses. He's even working me into routines to incorporate  
what I know about Speed Striking into my Escrima techniques (ever wanna get hit  
by sticks twelve times within four seconds? Trust me, it's all about no you don't).  
I'm really glad Zach is here. No nooo, it doesn't have anything to do with us liking  
each other for about two years now (and NO MOM, school keeps us all about too  
busy to have time for the THAT—Zach and I have both agreed to save the THAT  
for the summer—HE HE HE). Speaking of Black Belt-iness, I know you're looking  
forward to sessions over Summer break—my second _Dan_ would be kind of a neat  
Xmas present (all about HINT).

Frannie and I were talking over dinner the other night, and she brought up something  
that made me think. When we come home after the semester finals in June, it will  
be just about six years to the day since "The Event." I know you remember The  
Event, Mom. I don't know how much you're reminded of it, but here on campus  
I still am, even after six years. I still run into people between classes and other places  
that recognize me from the night I came through the window in the Mall. The  
rock-star-fame thing has worn off, but anyone who talks to me about it has that  
gleam in their eye from having seen it. I can see it. They all say it was about the most  
amazing thing they ever saw, and that their life is better after being, uhh, "introduced"  
to Cellers and where they come from.

I think I know how you feel about it, too—just like I do, Mom. Leave out all the  
lead stuff that happened before it in Cairo of course, but after that? I can't think  
of a single second I would want to change. All the stuff Cap'n Mark (yes, I  
know—Major—but it's all about names are hard to get rid of) taught me really  
helped with my confidence in Karate and working with weapons. It helped with  
my confidence in other things too. I think it had a lot to do with the courses I  
decided to take in college with law enforcement and stuff (he he, I told Melfina to  
tease Cap'n Mark that someday I'm going to be all about beat him in Karate and  
investigative work!). And all the neat kids I met at the Youth Club on the Air Base?  
They're some of my shiniest diamond friends. Dani is trying to talk her 'rents into  
letting her transfer here next fall from Lehigh Valley—she says they have a better  
paralegal program, but she wants into the Inter-Environmental Studies courses  
here. Speaking of inter-environments, the no e-mail thing is really making me miss  
the Celler diamonds I met when I went to Cellerland. I think Tara might have had  
a small thing for me, but she seemed really cool about it. I miss her email tips about  
how to get our computers to run smoother (I bet she could make a real hot rod out  
of this little word processor—he he).

I'm really glad I got to know Melfina, too. She sends me at least one email a week  
(or at least, she did before the servers went poof). Tell her I said hi when you talk  
to her, and tell her the intern thing in Inter-Environmental Studies is still going really  
well. There are things from my short stay in Cellerland that even surprise the  
professors! Already twice during this semester I was asked to give a speech about  
how I got there, what being there was like, and about the trip back (it's all about  
killer knowing more than the teachers in some things—HA HA).

The shiniest part about The Event? It was that minute where I came out of the  
Conduit from Cellerland—and you and Dad were the first people I saw. For that  
minute? There was no crowd. There was nobody else there but us three, back  
together again. It was another thing to te

/

/

/

The next several keystrokes bounced emptily off the suddenly-blank processor screen and clacked through the now-dark, silent room.

"No…! Ahhhh, No! _NO-YOU-DIDN'T!_ Total Hell! I didn't _SAVE_ that!!"

"Finally!" a voice piped from across the room. "A reason for saving to mini-disc!"

Another voice from the kitchen. "I _know _a totally dark room is _not _where I wanted to be while I'm carrying steaming hot tea!"

Kimi slid her legs over the side of the hide-a-bed, placing the small word processor to the side, and rose to her feet, navigating her way to the window. "Don't worry, Moni," she growled, "it's all about soon we'll be able to see by the light of _burning frat-brats!_"

She felt along the base of the window frame for the handle and roughly pulled the window open, thrusting her head out into the crisp spring darkness. "_HEY!!_" she screamed. "Put it back on or it'll be all about what happens when you cut the power to a dorm where a BLACK BELT LIVES!!"

"Hey," a distant voice popped from the night, "we didn't do it this time!"

"Uh-huh," Kimi shot back sarcastically, "just like you 'didn't do it' the last two times? Put it back on or my late-night snack is gonna be Delta Frat Pate` on crackers and _MINCED-MEAT PHI!!_"

"Keep your Black Belt on," another voice slid from the distance. "It's not just you. The whole campus is out."

Kimi slowly swept her gaze across the grounds. Over the acres of campus, the blackness was total. Not a light was to be seen, save for a slowly growing dance of flashlight beams behind windows.

Frannie joined her friend to her right side at the window, peering out over the darkly surreal scene. "Wow," she muttered almost in a whisper, "…everybody?"

A small wash of light leapt onto the wall to their left, and a tiny "Light!" emitted from behind the flashlight beam.

"Here first, Rufus," said Monique from the kitchen doorway. "I need to see a place to set down this tea."

The beam of light swung quickly to flash onto the light-skinned black woman, then shifted to a counter, illuminating an earthen-brown cup as Monique gently set it there and entered the main room. "The whole campus is out?" she asked.

"Everything's out," Frannie replied, still leaning out the window. "Can't see the library, can't see the administrator's building…it's all dark, except for flashlights."

A light burst from the sidewalk two floors below to the window, followed by a man's voice. "Everybody okay up there?"

"Yeah," Kimi called down, "we're all fine. What happened?"

"I'm not sure," the man said. "Maintenance said that the generators just…quit. We're working to get everything going again. Just kind of stay put for now."

Frannie made her way behind Kimi and along the wall from the window to a small bookcase. The room suddenly burst into illumination from the small lamp she was now holding in her palm. "Found the portable," she said. "Rufus, you can save the flashlight for now."

Monique turned to retrieve her tea. "Good call, Frannie," she said, returning to the main room and sitting into a chair near the bookcase. "That lamp is one of the cooler things the school store has. It'll give about six hours of light before it needs a recharge."

Frannie gave a wistful glance back to the desk. "Too bad it can't run a computer for six hours," she sighed.

Monique also looked across the room in the direction of the now-quiescent device on the desk. "How much did you lose?"

"Not so much," Frannie said. "I saved like, a minute before everything went out…but it was to the hard drive…not to mini-disk. Everything is still locked in there."

"Another good reason to head up to the school store," piped Monique. "You could really use a UPS."

"Hm?"

"An Uninterruptable Power Supply," explained Kimi, turning from the window. "Keeps the computer going for about a half-hour after everything else goes poof. That would be enough time to get what you wanted onto mini-disk and shut everything down properly."

"Sounds neat—" Frannie said – then her gaze slid downward "—and expensive…"

"Fear not, Diamond Fra," Kimi returned. "You can get one on a credit plan. And you have two roomies who just about run the store."

Frannie raised her head to Kimi. "Do they have one that can run more than one computer?" she asked as she handed Kimi the light. "Judging by the way you yelled, you lost way more than I did."

Kimi brought up her free hand in resignation. "Well," she said, "it wasn't schoolwork…just a letter home to the 'rents. More memory work than anything to put it back together again when I get power back, or even write it by hand. Your thesis is all about more important."

A soft chirping on a small end table next to the hide-a-bed Kimi had been sitting on caused her to return to it. She set the light on the table and picked up a small phone, opening it and bringing it to her ear. "Hello? Hiii," she purred, motioning a "Z" in the air to her two roommates. "Yeah, us too…I thought it was our friends two buildings down at first. I was all about getting set to go play a round of Smack-A-Frat until I looked out and saw it was everybody this time." She shifted her head to Rufus with a smile. "Yeah, he found it pretty quick. We have a portable on now, though. How are you guys doing?"

Kimi listened for a few seconds – then suddenly broke into a titter. "Really? You don't think a bonfire would be all about frowns from campus police? Oh yeah, I could totally hear that…'But Mr. Officer, it's only a _teeny_ bonfire', hehehe. Us? Just cards or something…maybe backgammon. Okay…see you tomorrow. If this lasts into tomorrow, class could be all about read by candlelight—" her expression slid into a smirk "—if someone doesn't get candles banned because of the bonfire that burned down half their dorm building—" this brought Kimi to a quick giggle. "Okay…sleep good. G'night." She closed the phone and set it back onto the table.

Frannie had retrieved a deck of cards from the bookcase and sat onto a corner of the hide-a-bed, shuffling them. "Well, I can't work on my thesis," she said, "so I might as well work on winning some lunch money."

Monique rose from her chair and sat on the opposite side of the bed. "Not from me, girl," she smirked. "In fact, you still owe me a lunch from the last time we played."

"Yeah, I'm still planning on winning that back," said Frannie as Kimi settled on the corner nearest the small table and slid to the middle so as not to cast a shadow onto the bed. Frannie raised a finger across the bed, shaking it slightly at Monique and closing one eye. "You're just lucky we don't have a Knick Knack Chick Shack on campus," she warned. "If we could play Bitz Hockey, I'd be all about win that back in no time."

Kimi burst into a quick snicker at her friend. "If we could play Bitz Hockey for money here, you'd be all about feed me steak every night." At this, Monique joined in the light laughter.

Frannie's face slid into a mock pout as she continued to shuffle, sliding and packing the deck into her palm. "If we could play Bitz Hockey for money here, I'd be all about make sure to play only against freshmen," she sulked. This brought more laughter from the other two women.

"C'mon, Sir Lose-A-Lot," Kimi tittered. "Deal."

"What are we playing?" Frannie inquired. "We don't have a fourth for Hearts, or Bridge—"

She was cut off by a quick "Hey" of protest from the small pink form that had now joined them on the bed, his hands on his hips.

"Now Rufus," admonished Monique, "remember the last time you tried to play Bridge or Hearts? Your hands aren't big enough to hold that many cards at once…so you laid them out on the table. If you put them face-down, the game took twice as long as it should have from you having to peek at every card individually…and if you put them face-up so you could see them all, you complained that everyone else was looking at your cards!"

This brought a "Hmph!" from the mole rat.

"How about Rummy 500?" offered Kimi. This was answered with nods of approval from the rest of the group, and Frannie began to distribute the hands.

"I only want to play for about an hour at most," Monique said, rising to the bookcase to retrieve a pen and paper. "Something tells me tomorrow is going to be even more of a Monday than lately, with no lights—" she suddenly slapped her palm to her forehead "—ahhh, not to mention trying to run the school store without register terminals!"

"…you could try to get by with using a cash box," said Frannie.

"Nice thought," replied Monique, settling back onto the bed, "but it's kind of hard to run an electronic debit card through a cash box…maybe we could have people fill out debit statements and then run their cards through when the power comes back on."

"Works for me!" Kimi perked, motioning her hands out to Frannie, one an open palm , the other closed as if holding a pen. "Sign here please."

Frannie sighed as she placed the remainder of the cards in a stack in the center of the bed and gathered up her hand. "Electronics are nice, but sometimes I wonder if we depend too much on them in our everyday lives…"

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

Tina Drexel's years as Director of Data Flow proved her to be an invaluable asset not only to Kim's workings as Head of Processing – but to the seamless day-to-day operations of the entire Meridian Processing department. Her amiable personality allowed her to work closely with many people on the floor and apply a "hands-on" approach to monitoring daily operations, which gave her an important insight into possible future trends in workflow, and a sort of "sixth sense" in anticipating high and low points in the rate of that workflow. This resulted in a definite increase in productivity with her ability to adjust tasks throughout the floor to accommodate shifts in data flow.

Not only did Tina's abilities serve to strengthen her work relationship with Kim, it fortified their friendship as well, the two formulating a bond second only to that between Kim and Marcy Alvarez-Delgado. The three together had an almost visible symbiotic flow, whether during monthly business analysis meetings with other department heads, or on the Monday evening sessions in the backgammon club.

Even though it may have seemed slightly redundant at times, Kim nearly never missed an opportunity to relay to the Board of Regents the priceless nature of Tina's hand in producing the strong and almost silken tapestry of Processing output. This made its effect known in early 2024, when the Board announced Tina's advancement to the post of Assistant Head of Processing, directly under Kim.

Tina had been a fan of Kim's Disney series since its inception in 2002 – but she could never compare the times spent laughing, cheering and smiling at her television with the time that started from the first morning of her training at Meridian, now some 20 years ago. That morning began an immediate discovery for Tina; the discovery that she could be both a fan of – and friends with – a Celler.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

Meridian Insurance Co.  
3851 Eastgate Drive  
Eastgate, Pennsylvania  
Processing – 2nd Floor  
Monday, April 21st  
2:54 PM.  
A soft knock at the door frame of her office brought Tina's gaze from the computer screen of figures she had been filtering through. She raised her head, looking to her left to the doorway and to a slender, almost lanky woman with a silken waterfall of sable hair nearly to her waist. "Hi there Rita," Tina perked. "What's up?"

"Hi Miss Tina," Rita returned the greeting. She held up a small array of papers she had printed out. "There's a claim I wanted someone to look at," she said. "Meaghan stepped out to break just before I opened it."

Tina's brow furrowed slightly as she glanced at the clock on her desk. "Claims?" she asked. "I would have thought you'd just be buttoning up the reports about now."

Rita's face fell a little. "Actually, the reports went about an hour ago," she said a bit sheepishly. "We were short several districts again."

Tina's expression now became a mix of concern and incredulity at this. "Again?" she asked. "As bad as two weeks ago?"

Rita's eyes met Tina's for a second – then fell to the foot of her desk. "Worse," she said in a low voice, as if she felt she were somehow to blame. "Most of Eastern New York, including NYC…New Jersey…most of Eastern Connecticut and Massachusetts."

Tina's eyes widened more as Rita listed each area. "My God," she breathed. "And every state district called or emailed in to confirm they weren't sending?"

"They all called. None of them had power to be able to do email. Massachusetts said they had been down since about mid-morning."

Tina slumped a bit into her seat. "It was bad enough two weeks ago," she said slowly. "It took us the better part of a week to get current after Maryland and D.C. were down for just one day." Her head softly sank against her hand. "Did any of them say why they went down?"

"Just sudden power outages," said Rita. "Every one of them. The backup generators gave them enough time to secure their data, but entire areas all around them are without net communication, so they couldn't get reports out. New Jersey had to call back three times before I could understand them, there was so much static on the phone line."

Tina let a sigh slip between her slightly open lips. "Okay. The storm won't be today. I know the rest of the reports are in good shape…and you confirmed with L.A. that they got them—"

Rita nodded in response, which caused a slight smile to sneak onto Tina's face. "There's something I can always count on during things like this," she said. "You put in a lot of hours after the Maryland glitch."

"I've always worked hard at making sure the reports were the best I could make them," replied Rita. "And besides…hard work now usually means easier work later."

Tina let out a quick chuckle. "I'm glad your power supply doesn't go down as easily." This caused Rita to giggle as well.

A hand slid to the door frame next to Rita, followed by a rich cascade of auburn hair framing a pair of bright emerald eyes appearing past her shoulder. "Hi guys," Kim beamed.

Rita turned immediately to her right. "Hi Miss Kim!" she returned.

Tina raised a hand in greeting. "Hey there," she said. "I was just getting ready to call you about some no-shows on today's reports."

"Oh?" Kim quizzed. "Like the Maryland thing earlier in the month?"

"I'm afraid this makes the Maryland thing look tame," said Tina, her head shaking slowly. "Power outages. Quite a few of the bigger districts in the upper East, including NYC."

"Today's reports went out about an hour-and-a-half earlier than normal because of the missing districts," Rita added.

Kim found a pained "Ew" escaping from her mouth. "You're right, that does make the Maryland thing look small. I imagine the power outages have affected daily processing in those districts as well…which will mean even more catch-up, once they're back up and running."

Tina turned her gaze to Rita. "Pick a couple of people who can work with you on this when we get the back data," she said. "I trust your work all the way, but there's no way you could catch up on a setback this big on…your…own…"

Tina's words were staggered as she slowly rose from her chair, looking past the two women standing in her doorway, and through the glass on either side of it. Across the floor, workers' heads were turning toward the ceiling. A growing buzz of low excited talking began to spread through the rows of desks.

A zone supervisor near Tina's doorway leaned in their direction. "Do you guys have the news on? Listen to the radio!"

Kim and Rita turned back to Tina as she reached for a console on her desk, turning a dial to bring up the volume on the radio feed from the overhead speakers in her office:

:::—without lights at intersections, traffic on the bustling island of Manhattan has all but ground to a halt. Police are attempting to oversee traffic flow, but the added load of security from lack of power has the NYPD asking business owners to lend assistance by trying to secure and protect their properties in any non-lethal way they can. Back to you, Martin.

Darien Adams in New York City, thank you, Darien. The outages are more widespread than just New York City. Areas of blackout over wide sections of New Jersey, Connecticut and as far north as Massachusetts and the Boston Metro have literally millions along the upper Atlantic Seaboard without power. Crews across the Northeast will be working into the night to restore power, but at this moment, the cause for the massive blackouts is, so far, unknown.

Elsewhere, two top NASA engineers are en route to Thailand's largest telecommunications company, the Shin Corporation, to lend their expertise as workers there continue to try to regain contact with an important satellite lost two days ago. The satellite, known as IPSTAR, is a major link in providing broadband Internet service to a wide market in the Asia-Pacific region, from southeast Asia to as far south as Australia and New Zealand—:::

A wide but somewhat uneasy smile drifted onto Kim's face as Tina reduced the volume of the speakers. "See? It could be worse," she piped, motioning toward the overhead fluorescent lighting. "At least we still have power."

"I never trusted satellites much," Rita said. "Our high-tech society hangs on the flight of things zooming around in space…among big rocks and all the other things already zooming around in space…"

Kim placed a hand on Rita's shoulder. "Heh," she chuckled, "when you get to watch all those documentaries on cable about the sharks you find so fascinating? Thank a satellite. When you get all those calls on your cell from your boyfriend? Thank a satellite."

"And when all that back data comes in from the downed districts?" Tina perked. "Thank a satellite!"

Rita's head slid back slightly, her eyes closing in a wince. "Ohh, I'll be _sure_ to thank satellites for _that_," she groaned. The other two women couldn't help but burst into laughter.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

Air National Guard 111th Fighter Wing  
Near Willow Grove, Pennsylvania  
Off-Base Housing  
1121 Fairchild Avenue  
Saturday, April 26th  
7:22 PM.  
The sleek black shape occupying the garage seemed as if it would devour every bit of light cast onto it, if given the chance. The mirror-polish coats of ebony paint looked as if they had been stretched smooth to the point of breaking, seeming to lend this aerodynamic chord an even richer, fuller depth to its tone.

The shape was a cunningly deceptive mix of beauty, sleekness and power. It could be compared to that of a sultry, seductive woman – a dark, mechanical _femme fatale._

As menacingly as this form presented itself, its front now hung open in a yawn, as if willingly offering its cold steel innards for display and manipulation by the man who leaned into the gaping maw of the black beast over thick soft cloths carefully draped over either side of the opening, his hands plunged deep into its metal intestines;

_Okay…one hand holding the tensioner in place…the other hand past the power steering pump, under the alternator… unngh, tight squeeze here…just a little more, past the_— _son-of-a…okay, don't panic, you still have two more bolts…you can swipe a yardstick or something under and get that one after the other two are in_—

"…Mark…?"

_Okay, just get the first bolt started and then you can let go for now…here we go_—

"Mark?"

_past the power steering pump, under the alternator, tight squeeze—_

"Mr.-Broderson??"

_make the turn with the fingers, find the hole…man, that drop light is warm_—

"Major, _Sir!!_"

This last almost-barked command startled Mark enough to cause the "tick-ti-ticky" of the second bolt against the cement of the garage floor under the car, near where the first now lay. He quickly disentangled his hand from the metal maze, his other hand grasping the belt tensioner he had positioned. He retracted the upper half of his large frame from under the hood of the vehicle and straightened, turning to face the woman standing in the doorway. Her arms were folded across her "Kiss the Cook" apron, and her semi-toussled mane of black hair now framed a less-than-amiable expression.

"…Hi?" Mark offered.

This greeting caused Melfina's grip on a long-handled wooden spoon to tighten a bit, and her wide sepia eyes shifted from a disbelieving stare to narrow as her brow lowered, her mouth still resigned to a downturned scowl. "Several times through the spring," she started, "you had spoken to me a wish to engage in an evening meal which you enjoyed in the days when you were younger…and single. After describing this meal to me, I indirectly declined your request, having no real desire to partake of that level of factory-prepared sustenance, but I promised you that I would find a recipe which resembled this dish. Last week, I found such a recipe which I feel approximates what you described, but with more taste and appeal. I spent this afternoon preparing the crust and the gravy, and dicing poultry, carrots and potatoes for this dish."

Melfina now shifted slightly, motioning the wooden spoon over her shoulder in the direction of the kitchen, the tone of her voice further indicating her displeasure. "The concoction you had expressed such a wish for now sits on the kitchen table, uneaten, for the better part of an hour. I have reheated it two times in an effort to keep it hot and appealing—" she now waved the spoon in wide arcs in the direction of the vehicle "—but lately on weekends, about the only thing you have found appealing is this…" she nearly spat out the last "...Firecat!"

Mark's head drooped a little at his wife's admonishment. "I'm sorry, 'Fina," he offered as he slowly fumbled with the small aluminum part in his hand. "I know I've been spending a lot of time out here…but the Base Auto Show is only a little over two months away…and I want this car to look and run as well as I can get it." His gaze now rose to meet that of his wife, his tone remaining the same as he moved to the front of the vehicle. "And it's not a 'Firecat'," he added, "it's a Fire_bird_. A Pontiac Firebird." Mark then reached to the workbench for a broom. "Let me get these couple of bolts I dropped," he said, sinking to his knees, "and I'll be right in."

Melfina's arms crossed over her chest again as Mark sank to his knees, sliding the handle of the broom under the front of the car. "Perhaps it is because I am not mechanically inclined," she huffed, "or perhaps it could just be a characteristic shared by males…but other than its condition in light of its age, I cannot grasp the depth of the allure of this vehicle which has caused you to become the…missing live-in husband as of late…"

"It's not just the age," piped Mark as he peered under the front fascia of the car, his tone now as if making a case for the car before a jury, "it's what it symbolizes. 2002 was—"

"Yes, I know," Melfina cut in. "You have informed me on many an occasion since bringing it home. 2002 is known as the last year there was production of a 'Pontiac Firebird'…and if I have to reheat it yet again, 2025 shall be known as the last year I produce for you the 'Chicken Pot Pie'!" With this, she turned and disappeared from the doorway.

"Give me just two seconds to get these bolts and I'll clean up for—"

Mark's sentence was severed by the sudden blackness which now dominated the garage.

"…'Fina," pleaded Mark, "you could have at least waited until I was out from under the car…c'mon, hit the switch."

"I am not near the switch," Melfina's voice came back from deeper in the house, laced with frustration. "I did not turn off your lights. Everything is off."

Mark left the broom in place on the floor, sliding the head to just under the front of the vehicle so as not to cause a tripping hazard. He rose to his feet, feeling along the nose of the car for a shop rag, and began wiping harshly at his hands as he made his way through the doorway.

Using the late evening's light through the windows to guide him into the living room, Mark found his wife settled onto the couch, looking down at her knees, her hands clasped between them. "This is the third time this month," he said slowly. "I don't know why this is going on…but it can't be good."

This point caused Melfina to sulk a bit more. "One thing is for sure…it cannot be good for the pot pie…" as she finished this statement, her mouth soured a bit more and she brought up one hand, lowering her face into it, her fingers against the center of her forehead.

Mark brought a hand to Melfina's shoulder in a light touch. "Not to worry," he smiled. "Give me a moment to clean up a bit…and I'll take you to dinner."

Melfina sat for a few seconds – then took in a long slow breath, sighing it out against her palm in a huff of resignation. "I shall store the pot pie," she said, slowly rising from the couch, her eyes still cast downward. "Perhaps it will still be appetizing…as…left-overs—"

Melfina's words were staggered as she brought her gaze upward. Mark had taken one of the scented candles from the coffee table in front of the couch and lit it with a small lighter nearby. He stood, smiling, slowly shaking his head from side to side, the amber orbed container softly aglow in his hand.

The warm light of the candle gave an accentuating sparkle to Melfina's tear-moistened eyes. She had no response but to slowly settle against the large man's chest, her arms sliding around his torso. "You know," she said softly, "there are times, however seldom, in which I find myself giving fleeting thoughts as to why I tolerate some of the nuances of your behavior…" She moved back a bit, looking first at the candle, then into Mark's eyes, her mouth spreading into a warm smile. "And nearly always, those thoughts are answered with times such as this which tell me exactly why."

Mark smiled a bit wider, slipping his arm across his wife's shoulders and the two started in the direction of the kitchen.

"The portion of the pot pie that is still in the oven will be warmer," Melfina said. "I shall serve that." A playful smirk of thought then crossed her face as Mark placed the candle in the center of the kitchen table. "Given reflection?" she said, "I think they should have named the car 'Firecat' rather than 'Firebird'." This brought a quizzical side-look from Mark until she continued. "It is well known that a cat is faster, stronger, and has quicker reflexes than a bird."

Mark breathed out a chuckle and delivered a quick light slap against his wife's rear. She reacted with a short shriek through her giggling as Mark turned for the restroom.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics  
University of California at San Diego  
La Jolla, CA  
Geosciences Research Division  
Lab 2-A  
Friday, May 2nd  
10:21 PM.  
The light coming from the large flat-panel monitor seemed almost to humiliate that from the small table lamp sharing the desk, the two devices the only illumination in the glass-encircled room. The array of open windows on the screen full of charts and other data seemed to lend an almost irradiated glow to the dog-eared and hastily-stacked pile of papers next to it on the desk.

The glow also extended to the face of the man in his early 30's staring into the screen, his fingers interlocked in front of his face, his lips resting against his index fingers. His dark hair was mostly in disarray from running his hand through it in a half-hearted attempt to reset his concentration and somehow crunch the numbers before him in a fresh manner.

A light knock at the doorway brought the man's gaze from the computer to the doorway, and to a woman of medium stature with shoulder-length dishwater blonde hair. One arm clutched a small satchel and a couple of hard-bound books to the side of her torso. As his eyes met hers, a soft smile crossed her face. "You should try getting some real sleep tonight," she said.

The man pushed his fingers along the bridge of his nose, pushing his glasses upward for a few seconds as he rubbed at his red-rimmed eyes. "I just want to go back over these figures one more time before I send them up to Ted Oliver in Seattle in the morning."

The woman leveled an expression of exasperation at the man. "In the morni—" she started. "Ahh, that 'going back over' is going to take you another four hours at least. You're going to sleep here again tonight, aren't you...? Nathan, that's four nights in a row."

Nathan let out a breath. "I can sleep over the weekend," he replied. "I just want to make sure this is right before I send it."

"You should let Ted check your figures in the morning," she admonished, motioning to a couch across the office. "At least he will have had a full night's sleep." She then took a couple of steps into the room. "Those fish in your apartment probably miss you more than your bed does," she said. "They can't feed themselves, you know."

Nathan adjusted his glasses and shifted his gaze back to the screen. "I called the landlord to go up and sprinkle a little food in their tank," he said. He then rose from the desk, motioning a hand back to the screen as he started toward a small bathroom just off the office. "Jennifer…look at something real quick. I need to splash some water on my eyes."

Jennifer took a halting step toward the desk. "This is not going to stop me, you know," she said jokingly as she placed her books into a chair at the side of the desk. "I have a weekend planned and a family to share it with, and I'm not going to disappoint either." She continued around the desk, leaning to look over the screen that Nathan had been seemingly tethered to.

Nathan returned from the bathroom, his glasses in one hand while he rubbed a paper towel over his face with the other. "Do you see it?"

Jennifer continued to look over the figures. "I'm not seeing much out of the ordinary," she said. "Just a recent fluctuation of the magnetic fields. Nothing out of cyclic parameters, anyway."

Nathan reached past Jennifer to a mouse on the desk, highlighting a partially-obscured window. "Sure," he said, "nothing out of parameters…until you look at the timeframe…"

Jennifer studied the window for a few seconds – then her eyes widened slightly, her brow raising with them. She slowly turned her head, looking back at Nathan. "Are these figures right…?" she asked a bit incredulously.

"They were right the last six times I went over them," replied Nathan, replacing his glasses onto his head. "I don't expect them to change this time."

Jennifer straightened from the desk, turning to Nathan, still with the disbelieving look on her face. "A ten-percent drop in the Earth's magnetic field in just 72 hours?"

"Now you know what's kept me here the last three nights," Nathan said.

Jennifer thought for a second. "Any chance this is due to a spike in solar activity?"

"Thought of that. That was the report on sunspot activity I had faxed from UC Davis on Wednesday. The Sun is actually at a low point in its cycle." Nathan then rubbed at his eyes again. "The only other things are the intangibles…near-Earth objects and such. That's why I want to get this to Ted to get his take on it. He's in close with a lot of people at NASA. They probably already have their finger on what's causing this."

Jennifer turned back to the screen again, looking at the figures, her mind taking in the data. "This might have something to do with the power outages I've been seeing around the country…and that com-sat thing over Asia a couple of weeks ago." She once again stood, turning to gather her things from the chair. She let out an audible sigh. "I'll have my beeper," she said. "Page me if you get anything from Ted…and an email backup. I'll check in on Sunday either way." A small smirk then crept onto her face. "I trust I can reach you here first…"

Nathan's eyebrow raised at her last statement. "…First?" he asked.

Jennifer raised a finger toward her colleague. "After working with you for four years, there's one thing I'm sure of with you," she said with a knowing grin. "Your obsessive nature. Once you latch onto something, you squeeze it until it bleeds the truth or whatever else it is you're searching for."

This was met with a smile of confirmation from Nathan. "I'll be here unless I hear something quick from Ted."

Jennifer started toward the door, waving a "good-night" over her shoulder. Nathan returned to his seat at the desk. Jennifer stopped at the doorway, turning back to the office. "Oh. Nathan?"

"Hm?"

"Call your landlord tomorrow. Tell her I'll drop by on Sunday with Janey so she can feed your fish…she loves watching them."

Nathan let out a huff of a chuckle through his cheeks. "Tell her the big goldfish is expecting babies."

Jennifer now raised an eyebrow. "Nooo, I don't think I'll tell her that," she smiled. "She won't want to leave then…and one person in my life spending nights away from home is more than enough." With that, she turned again, waving as she started down the hallway.

to be continued…


	2. Igneus Atmosphaera

**2. Igneus Atmosphaera (Hell's Sunroom)**

Pennsylvania State University  
Campus Dormitory Building 6-A  
2nd Floor  
Monday, June 2nd, 2025  
5:57 AM.  
"Fra…?"

"Fraaa?"

"Oh Suzy Snoozy…all about daytime…"

This third bequest caused the blanketed lump on the couch to utter a "snork" and a slight stir. "Lluut mmu sluep nntul th-'larmm…" came from somewhere deep in the pillow.

Kimi reached down to gather a corner of the blanket, slowly but insistently tugging it from the head of the protesting sophomore underneath. "You mean tomorrow's alarm?" she asked playfully, "You've already slept through the one today."

A voice from the kitchen. "Frannie? I made these breakfast enchiladas for food, not a bed warmer. Uppy uppy uppy!" Monique stepped to the kitchen doorway, meeting Kimi there. She peeked into the main room, her brow leveling at the sight of the still-slumbering form on the couch. "She's going to have to make another study schedule," she sighed, motioning a spatula in that direction, "these all-nighters will finish her before she finishes school!"

Kimi brought a hand to Monique's shoulder. "Stand by," she whispered. "All about Last Resort Time."

The entire apartment fell into a pregnant silence for about five seconds—

"_Francesca Marie McGinnis! Finals are in ten minutes and ALL YOUR NOTES ARE ON FIRE!!_"

The blanket suddenly sprang upright, jumbling as a series of wild swipes clawed at it from within to reveal the head underneath, catching long strands of blonde hair, the result a toussled outflow cascading from the top of the now-vertical ex-sleeper. That blonde fountain jerked as Frannie quickly looked about the room, her gaze landing on the snickering pair at the doorway to the kitchen. That gaze now narrowed in frustration fighting through post-slumber haze. "Ohh, you guys sooo suck," she grumbled.

Kimi and Monique immediately surrendered to helpless laughter. "You got off easy," Kimi giggled. "Next time I'm letting Rufus under the covers and yelling 'Snake'!"

Monique burst out once again at this. "C'mon, Girl…it's Finals Week. We get through this…then it's a couple weeks to hang out while we pack and wait for our records and consults…then it's off for home until September."

Frannie swept a hand over her head, gathering the blonde chaos from her face. She then opened a palm and set her finger onto it, as if writing. "1 – shower…" she growled through gritted teeth. "2 – breakfast…3 – kick friends' butts all the way to class."

"Aww, Fra," said Kimi apologetically. "Less-than-diamond friends would have been all about get you up at 5:30 with the alarm."

"Or worse yet, not at all," added Monique.

Monique turned back to the kitchen for a plate as Kimi moved to sit at the end of the couch that formerly held Frannie's feet. "How late were you up typing out your notes last night?" she asked. "You were still all about Fingers of Fury when I went to bed about 10-ish."

Frannie swung her feet onto the floor, still mostly wrapped in the blanket. She brought a hand over her hair again. "I think I got everything printed out about—" she fought to remember for a second "—it had to be close to Three—I don't know—"

"Three???" exclaimed Monique as she came from the kitchen with a plateful of her breakfast concoction. "Girl, you couldn't have had more than a couple hours of sleep!" She immediately turned back for the kitchen after handing Frannie the plate and a fork. "I'm making you an extra strong cup of tea."

Frannie sent a wide smile at her friend and set the plate on the table for a moment. "I'm not waiting for the tea," she grinned. "I already know this tastes as good as it smells." She turned back the blanket onto the couch between her and Kimi, revealing a pair of blue plaid boxer shorts and a light grey t-shirt. She moved to reach for the plate – then stopped with a shiver. "Ohh!" she said suddenly, reaching instead for the blanket, covering her now-bare legs. "Why-is-it so _cold_ in here??"

Kimi raised an arm, tipping a finger at the window. "Because it's so hot out there," she said.

"It's already over 90 outside this morning," added Monique. "They had a 'dangerous heat warning' on the radio about a half-hour ago."

"It's all about good thing we signed for the morning sessions," said Kimi, reaching to the table next to the hide-a-bed and retrieving her cup of tea, taking a sip. "They're closing the Finals at Noon all week."

Monique came from the kitchen, cup and saucer in hand, which she set on the coffee table in front of Frannie. "They said on the radio that no one should be outside after 1 this afternoon unless it's an emergency."

Frannie had picked up her plate while her friends were talking and had readied a bite – but Monique's last statement stopped her fork short of her mouth. She looked up from the meal slowly. "Wh—why…? How hot is it supposed to get today? Like yesterday?

Kimi took another sip of her tea. "Even hotter," she said. "The radio said it's going to be about 105 by the time we get out of finals…and this afternoon, they're talking about…112 to 115."

Frannie's fork sank to her plate at about the same rate that her jaw dropped at Kimi's numbers. "…One-fift—" she stammered, looking back to her plate, shaking her head slightly. "That's…crazy! This isn't…Arizona or something…"

"And you're glad it's not," advised Monique. "They said it could hit the 130s in that part of the country."

Kimi finished her tea, walking into the kitchen to rinse her cup and set it on the counter. "Before we leave, remind me to turn the A/C way up," she said, returning to the main room. "If it gets that hot outside, it'll freeze up if we try to keep it this cool in here."

Frannie finally took a slow bite of her food. "Mmmm," she purred at the dish. "At least we still have eggs and cheese."

Monique smiled at the slightly indirect compliment. "Don't forget the sausage," she said, "and the little green onions diced in…all served on a heated tortilla shell."

Frannie finished her bite of food and motioned her fork in the direction of the window. "Did the radio say what's causing this? Is this global warming finally catching up to us…?"

"They didn't say," Kimi replied.

"I don't know what it is," added Monique, "but I think it's caught us—" now she motioned to the window "—and now…it feels like it's trying to cook us."

"I hope it doesn't try to eat us," Frannie said, readying another bite, "I bet we won't taste as good as this."

Monique let out a quick chuckle. "Speak for yourself, Girl," she quipped. Frannie and Kimi responded with a burst of laughter.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

Meridian Insurance Company  
Main Floor Lobby Information Desk  
Tuesday, June 3rd  
4:48 PM.  
Kim exited the elevator, having changed into a pair of loose-fitting "parachute" pants of a light silver fabric and a large t-shirt with the Meridian logo on the upper left chest. She had her office outfit on hangers slung over her left shoulder and a thin briefcase tucked under her arm. She had also arranged her hair into a loose bun at the back of her head.

She walked down the wide hall, greeting several people as she moved in the direction of the large black marble-covered Information Desk. There were several people around and near the desk, walking near it as they made their way to the doors of the North Atrium. Many of them had also changed into light, loose-fitting clothes. A rather burly guard sat behind the desk, leaning slightly toward the small television set he had perched on the counter, turned so those passing by could see. A few were lingering, watching the screen.

As she approached the desk, a young, rather bubbly blonde girl in blue shorts and a short-sleeve shirt of a lighter shade of blue greeted her, reaching for a bottle of water from a stack of cases and handed it to Kim. "Free water, compliments of Athens Springs Natural Water," she beamed, handing Kim the chilled bottle and turned to reach into the case again, handing out two more bottles to others.

"Thanks," Kim returned with a wide smile, and continued to the counter, joining those who were gathered around the television screen.

The guard turned to Kim as she stepped to the counter. "Afternoon, Ms. Hodge," he said with a nod and a smile.

"Hi Ken," said Kim.

The guard motioned to the bottle Kim was holding. "Good, you got some water," he said. "It's beyond wicked hot out there again today. I wouldn't go out without it."

"I wouldn't think of it," replied Kim, looking around the hallway. "Has my better half been by here yet?"

"Mr. Hodge? I haven't seen him yet."

"Maybe he's still changing," Kim said. "How about Tina Drexel?"

"Now her, I've seen," the guard said. "A few minutes ago. She said to tell you she was going to go roll down the windows on her car and be back in. I made sure she got some water, too."

"She usually doesn't do water," said Kim, "but I think she might be glad she has it today."

A woman near the television turned to Kim and the guard. "Wow," she blurted. "The TV said it just hit 135 degrees in northern Arizona…and it's only 2 in the afternoon there."

"Isn't Arizona in the Mountain Time Zone?" another person spoke up. "It's actually about 3 O'Clock there."

"I don't think Arizona does the Daylight Savings Time thing," said Ken. "They don't set their clocks ahead…so yeah, it would be 2."

Kim turned from the counter with a concerned, disbelieving expression. "…135 degrees," she repeated slowly. "How can people survive that??"

"They'll find a way," Ken said. "Summers are always brutal in that part of the country, but there's hardly any humidity, so 115 there feels about like a normal summer in the low- to mid-90s here."

Kim turned back to the television, a look of resignation on her face mixed with a slight frustration. "It still doesn't explain why we're getting those kinds of temperatures here, though…"

"That just makes me glad I'm working second shift this month," said Ken. "By the time I get out of here at Midnight, it'll be relatively cool…back down into the low 90s." He then nodded his head toward the glass entrance of the North Atrium. "These temperatures coupled with the kind of humidity we get—" his head slowly led back to Kim, shaking slightly "—it's just murder."

A soft touch along the top of Kim's shoulder caused her to turn in that direction, receiving a small kiss as a reward from a face she was more than familiar with. "Hi there," she grinned.

"Hiya, Mr. Hodge," said Ken.

William didn't break his smile, but shifted it from his wife long enough to return the greeting from the guard. "Hi there, Ken," he returned, then shifted the smile back to its original target. "Been here long?"

"Couple of minutes," replied Kim, motioning back to the counter. "Watching a bit of news until Tina comes back in." She got a rather puzzled look from her husband until she added, "Windows down." She then motioned to William's right to the pert young girl who had given her a water bottle, who was now offering one to him.

William reached for the bottle, giving a "Thank you" to the girl. He then reached into his pocket, producing his keys and singling out a small plastic square with a flat button in the middle. "I think this weather might make the final case for her to get that remote start system she's been talking about," he said. "It even rolls down the windows a little bit on hot days, so the air conditioning can work faster."

A sudden heightening of the talk around the television brought Kim and William's attention to the set. A woman turned to them, her face striped with a tear from one eye. "It just said the temperature topped 160 degrees in parts of the Middle East," she said in an anxious tone. "One of my friends is there doing archeological work."

Ken reached for the volume on the television, bumping it up a bit as the screen showed a scene from atop a tall hill overlooking a vast stretch of rolling dunes dotted with low brush. As the camera panned slowly, peoples' eyes watching the screen widened to match their slacked jaws at what was revealed as the announcer spoke:

:::You are looking at a scene outside the city of Tabuk, located in northeastern Saudi Arabia, a city with a population of about 450,000 people. What has happened here was not from terrorism, warring with rival factions or even an accident. The carnage you see here is being described by local people as "Hell on Earth.":::

The woman who had turned to Kim and William grasped the hand of her friend next to her. "That's about where Theresa said she was going," she sobbed.

The announcer continued as the screen panned over a wide area with a seemingly endless line of human bodies and animal cadavers :::A group of about 1,000 people had been trekking through the Allawz Mountain region on a pilgrimage to Mecca, say locals, to ask Allah for forgiveness for whatever their people may have done to bring about the nearly impossible searing temperatures over the region. This same morbid scene is being played out in parts of Syria, Iraq, Kuwait, Iran…in fact, over much of the Northern Hemisphere:::

The screen then switched between views of several cities :::Many heat-related deaths have been reported around the world north of the Equator, with temperatures well over the century mark in Paris…110 in Moscow…114 in London…much of Italy brought to a halt at 120…air temperatures of near 140 degrees in parts of China…and the mercury reaching an unfathomable 165 degrees in northern Africa have brought thousands of deaths, and multitudes of others screaming at local politicians and scientists to find a cause and enact measures to try to keep countless more people from dying in the unbelievable – and, as some are saying – unnatural – heat wave gripping the entire upper half of the globe:::

The woman with a friend in the Middle East began to weep into the arms of the woman next to her. "Millions of people could die from this!" She continued, shaking her head against the woman's shoulder as she embraced her. "We've done things to stop global warming, haven't we??" she cried. "We stopped using gasoline in our cars almost ten years ago. We switched to mercury light bulbs instead of regular ones." She suddenly took in a huge sob. "This isn't supposed to happen!!!"

The attention of the people around the desk was torn away from the woman's breakdown as the doors at the North entrance were burst open by a small group of people, their voices raised in an excited tone. "Make way!" "Please get out of the way, we need help here!" "Someone call the paramedics!" Even from some 30 feet away, a blast of the vicious outside air rushed through the entrance and seemed to race down the hall ahead of the group.

Ken reacted immediately to the shouting, turning to the console at the other end of the counter, reaching for the phone and punching in the three-digit emergency number.

The shouting continued as the group moved quickly down the hall. "Get her over by the desk!" "Put her on the floor, it's cooler" "Get something to put under her head!"

As the group neared the counter, they moved around the side of the desk to make way for two men who were carrying a woman dressed in a white short-sleeve button-down shirt and charcoal mid-length skirt.

As they lowered the woman to the floor, Kim recognized the soaked and now-limp spill of brunette hair, wet from someone splashing water on her face in an attempt to revive her.

"My…God, it's Tina!" she blurted to William, dropping her briefcase and outfit and racing to the unconscious shape on the floor. One of the men was supporting her head a few inches from the floor while someone else had rolled up a suitcoat and slid it under, allowing the man to gently settle Tina's head onto it and moving to center it. Kim knelt near Tina's shoulder, smoothing a hand over her hair. "Tina?" she pleaded. "Tina??" She raised her head to the man, a guard, knelt at Tina's other side. "Wh-what happened?" she managed.

"I'm not sure," the guard replied. "I was making sure people were getting to their cars without any trouble…and I saw her just sitting in her car. The door was closed, and she was just…sitting there. I think she was having some trouble breathing…she was as red as a beet. I just asked her if she was alright…and she jumped out of the car and started yelling at me…'Get away from me, leave me alone', something like that…and then, she just…collapsed."

Kim looked down again. While the guard had described her as "red as a beet" upon his initial contact with Tina in the parking lot, her skin was now a very pale hue, with just the barest tint of an ashen bluish tone. Kim placed her palm against Tina's forehead. "She's…she's so…cold," she said, "…and dry." Kim then moved two fingers to the inside of Tina's wrist, feeling a quick but faint pulse.

"I was a few feet away," another man said. "I saw what happened. She was very red when she got out of the car…and she started yelling hysterically…then she just went limp as a rag doll and fell. I helped carry her in. I'm no doctor…but I think she might have had a sunstroke or something."

As the man said the word "sunstroke," Ken echoed the word into the phone. He listened for a second, then raised his head, angling the phone away from his mouth. "The EMTs are on their way," he said in a quickened pace. "They said to try and cool her down until they get here."

Kim's head immediately shot up, turning back toward her husband. "Water," she burst out, snapping her fingers twice at the young girl next to the cases. Kim then turned to Ken, who was still on the phone. "Tell them she's diabetic," she said.

The girl quickly shot her hands into the top case, bringing out two cooled bottles, handing one to Kim and opening the other, tipping the bottle to let the water flow onto Tina's legs. A man standing near them quickly pulled off his t-shirt, taking a bottle from the case and soaking the shirt. He rolled the shirt up and motioned it to Kim. "Put this on her forehead," he said, Another woman who was standing near crouched, opening her bottle and dribbling water over Tina's shirt and arms.

Kim took the t-shirt into both hands, draping it tenderly along Tina's forehead, letting the ends slip gently over her ears. She brought one of her hands, now dripping with cool water, to Tina's mouth, letting a couple of drops trickle from her fingertips onto her lips. "Tina? Tina? C'mon honey," she said softly, her voice attempting to belie her mounting anxiety, "you're cool and collected in the office…you gotta get cool here, too." Her other hand moved to grasp Tina's, holding on tenderly.

Ken now stepped from behind the large marble counter, sliding the walkie-talkie from his belt, bringing it near his mouth and pressing the transmit button. "Main Desk to North Lot…emergency vehicle en route from Eastgate General, escort to North entrance for transport."

The reply came quickly through the speaker – "North Lot, copy emergency transport, we already hear the siren."

Kim brought her eyes up to her husband, who had moved closer. Her eyes were showing the level of her concern, already a bit reddened and misty. Her expression conveyed her very thoughts without a word – "This can't be happening."

Peoples' attention was drawn once again to the North entrance, the wail of the ambulance's siren winding to a stop outside. Seconds seemed to pass like minutes for the people central to this sudden drama until three paramedics appeared at the entrance, coming quickly through the tall glass doors, one carrying a large case, another holding the door while a third pushed a gurney into the hall.

The trio cleaved its way toward the desk, a few people motioning in that direction as they cleared a path down the hall. As they neared the small group on the floor, the guard at her shoulder and the young girl handing out the water retreated a few steps. Kim did not move, remaining near Tina's head as one of the paramedics knelt to apply a blood pressure cuff around Tina's upper arm, turning a small knob on the bulb at the end of the hose attached to the device and then pumping the bulb. His other hand slipped a stethoscope from his neck onto his ears and moved to place the sensor under the cuff as it inflated. Another reached into the case he had set on the floor, pulling out a tray of various vials and instruments. He took a device from the case under the tray and affixed a plastic tip to the end of it, then moved that tip to Tina's ear, holding it for a few seconds.

The third moved from the gurney, removing a walkie-talkie from his belt and reading a small display on the case as figures began to populate the screen. "Eastgate ER, EMT 1-8," he said into the mobile device, "female, approximately 35 to 40, skin is pale and dry, temperature—" he glanced to the man who had placed the plastic-tipped device to Tina's ear, who returned a quick nod of affirmation "—temperature 105…respiration 72 and shallow, pulse 116—tachycardia here, could be sinus…BP is 90 over 60."

The man nearest the case reached into it again for a pair of scissors and began to cut away the buttons on Tina's shirt, turning momentarily to Kim as he did so. "Ma'am, I'm sorry, we need room to work," he said. "You can stay near, we just need a little room to give treatment."

Kim looked into the eyes of the man, reading more into his expression than the slightly urgent tone of his voice. She nodded once quickly and slid her hand from around Tina's, then rose from her knees, moving immediately to stand about four feet back, still looking down at the progression of the scene unfolding on the floor in front of her.

One of the men reached into the case again, bringing out an object wrapped in paper, which he tore off, revealing an oblong rectangular-shaped piece of plastic about three by six inches and a little over an inch thick. He snapped the plastic against his knee, then shook it vigorously for a couple of seconds. He then removed the wet t-shirt from Tina's forehead, replacing it with the plastic object. "Cold pack," he said to Kim. "Chemical ice, basically." He opened two more of these packs, activating them in the same manner and applying them to Tina's upper chest and stomach. The man then looked back up to Kim. "We were told she's diabetic?"

"Yes," Kim replied quickly. "Four injections a day."

The man nodded, then returned to his task. "Heat can affect diabetics faster," he said.

Kim shook her head slowly. "But…but she wasn't outside that long," she said. "She just went out to open the windows on her car…it couldn't have been more than about five minutes at the most." The guard at the counter nodded in confirmation.

"That's all it can take, compared with healthy people," the man replied, "especially after working in an air-conditioned office building all day." He directed a finger toward the entrance. "To step out into this level of heat and humidity can be a real shock to the system."

The other paramedic who had been working the blood pressure cuff moved to the case, bringing out a clear plastic bag and a length of tubing. The man at Tina's head turned to stop him. "Let's get a BSL first," he said.

The other man responded, placing the bag and tubing onto the tray, and reached for a device about the size of a pack of cigarettes with a small screen on one side, and a paper envelope. He turned on the device and set it onto the tray, then picked up a small vial, setting it upright in the tray. He then tore open the envelope, removing a small piece of metal which looked like the point of a hobby knife. He leaned close to Tina, picking up her right hand and isolating her second finger. He brought the piece of metal to it, pressing the point against the side of her fingertip, then squeezing her finger slightly until a droplet of blood appeared at the site he had touched with the metal.

He reached back for the vial, flipping off the lid with his thumb and slipping a finger of his latex-gloved hand into the vial, sliding out a small strip of white plastic. He picked up the device from the tray and slipped one end of the plastic strip into it He then brought the exposed end of the plastic to Tina's finger, collecting a small amount of the blood that had formed there.

The man waited for a few seconds until a small "beep" emitted from the device. He picked it up, reading the screen, then turned it to show the man at Tina's head. That man turned to Kim. "Do you know this woman very well?" he asked.

Kim fought for a second against shooting the man a look of incredulity at his question – then regrasped the nature of the incident. "Yes," she said. "She's my assistant manager for my department. I've known her for over 20 years."

"Do you know what she had for lunch today?"

Kim thought for a second. "We've…we've been a bit behind lately," she said. "A few of us went down to the Cafeteria a little after 1, but she didn't go. She worked through her lunch…I brought her up a chicken salad sandwich, but I don't know if she ate it."

The man took the device from the other paramedic, sweeping it back to show the third technician holding the walkie-talkie. "Might be from dehydration, then," he said.

The man pressed the transmit button on the walkie-talkie. "Eastgate ER, EMT 1-8, patient is hyperglycemic, BSL is 420." A few gasps spread through the small crowd.

:::Roger, 1-8::: came from the walkie-talkie :::4 units of Humalog sub-Q, start intravenous hydration and monitor. Transport ASAP:::

"Copy, ER," the man said into the device, which he slid into the pouch on his belt, then turned to lower the bed of the gurney to about a foot from the floor. The other two paramedics immediately moved into action, one retrieving the plastic bag and tubing he had placed in the tray; the other also moving to the tray, picking up a small vial and rolling it between his palms.

"I remember her telling me," Kim said to the paramedic, "she takes regular insulin…I can't remember her doses, though."

"This is a different type," the man replied. "We need to get her blood sugar down more quickly than regular insulin would." He showed the vial to Kim as his other hand hovered over the tray. "this is Humalog," he said. "It acts within about ten minutes. Regular insulin could take more than a half-hour to take effect—" he turned quickly, finding a syringe and pulling off the cap "—we don't really have that kind of time right now."

Kim's brow furrowed at the last of the man's words. She turned back to William. "…She…she could—?"

"Not if we can help it," the man shot back, inserting the syringe needle into the membrane at the top of the vial. "The main thing now is getting her rehydrated, and getting her blood sugar down to a manageable level." He tipped the vial upside down and drew back the plunger of the syringe; then pushed it back in slowly while looking at the numbers along the side of the barrel. He then placed the vial back into the tray and the syringe onto the empty paper envelope he had put there.

Kim's eyes suddenly got wide as the man reached again into the tray, removing a small foil packet. Before he could tear it open, Kim had taken several steps back, her cheeks puffed as she held her breath, and tugging William along as several other people watched. About 15 feet away, Kim's mouth burst out a puff of breath. "I almost forgot," she wheezed in an excited tone, "they use alcohol to sterilize before an injection." Her mouth then began to sour as her eyes fell to the floor. "I—I can't even ride with her to the h-hospital," she wavered, turning to bury her face into William's chest.

William patted a hand against Kim's back. "No," he said, "but we'll be right behind the ambulance."

The man at Tina's head withdrew the syringe from the skin on her upper arm. "Insulin's in," he said. "Let's get the lactate going and we can transport."

The other man removed a length of rubber from the tray, wrapping it around Tina's upper arm and tying it. He then reached into the tray again, bringing out a fresh foil packet, opening it and taking the small swab from the packet, rubbing it lightly over the skin an inch or so above the inside of Tina's elbow. He reached into the tray for a separate paper envelope, removing a small plastic package containing a needle with two plastic flaps at one end and a receptor for the tubing he had earlier. He moved to position Tina's arm on his leg and patted softly at the area he had swabbed. He then opened the plastic package and positioned the tip of the needle against Tina's skin, inserting it slowly. A drop of blood appeared at the tip of the receptor. He quickly reached for the free end of the tubing, attaching it to the receptor. "Lactate's in," he said, loosening the strip of rubber around Tina's arm, then reaching to the tray for a roll of light tape, tearing off a couple of lengths to place over the flaps on the needle and over the tubing about an inch from the receptor.

As the man at Tina's head began to pick up various instruments and pieces of paper, the paramedic with the walkie-talkie moved the gurney to Tina's left side, lowering the railing closest to her. The man at Tina's head then reached into the case again, removing another Cold pack and unwrapping it, activating it against his knee and shaking it, then placing it at about the middle of the gurney.

The three men now moved as if choreographed; one at her head, another at her feet, the third moving around the gurney to her midsection. They placed hands underneath her unconscious body, one counting "one—two—three—" and lifting her in a smooth motion, retaining the horizontal orientation of her body as they slipped her onto the gurney, the man at the middle raising the railing to its original position, another moving to the case again for another of the Cold packs, activating it and placing the pack on her skirt, just below her crotch.

One of the men began to pack the case, looking into it for a moment. "You got the BP cuff?" he asked.

"Yep," answered another. "I'll reapply it after we're in the unit."

The third technician reached again for his walkie-talkie. "Eastgate ER, EMT 1-8, transporting now…ETA, 10 minutes."

William moved to his pocket for his keys. "Let's go to the car," he said. "They'll be taking her out in a minute."

Kim nodded, turning toward the counter for the briefcase and clothes she had dropped. Before she could get there, the woman who had been crying at the television news offered her the items. "I picked these up for you," she said.

"Thank you," replied Kim.

The two women, not having met before, now moved into a quick, warm embrace. "I'll pray for your friend," the woman said. "I think they'll take good care of her."

Kim looked at the woman for a second, reading the depth of her expression. "Thanks," she managed to smile. "I think so, too. Eastgate General has always been a good place…they have lots of good people."

"You're good people, too," the woman returned. "I can tell you really care about your friend." She then offered her hand. "My name is Diane Jenkins. I work down in Data Operations."

Kim returned the handshake. "I'm Kim Hodge," she said. "I'm on the Second floor, in Processing."

Diane's brow peaked slightly. "Let me know how she is doing, if you can."

Kim's smile widened a bit as she nodded slightly. "I will," she said. "Thanks for picking up my stuff…let me know about your friend in the Middle East, when you get word." She then turned back to join William as the three paramedics began to roll the gurney toward the glass doors of the North entrance. As they started in that direction, Kim handed William her office clothes and reached into her briefcase. "I'll call Marcy on the way and tell her what's happening," she said.

William nodded as he moved the hangers Kim had given him to join his suit, hanging over his shoulder. "We can eat at the hospital cafeteria," he said, "if you want to stay a while."

Kim nodded. "That was already my plan," she said.

The trio of paramedics moved through the glass doors, taking the gurney to the left around the stairs and down a long ramp leading to the sidewalk in front of the building where their rescue squad awaited, lights still flashing.

Kim and William were close behind the paramedics. The air was hot, incredibly hot as they walked through the inner pair of glass doors into the vestibule of the atrium—

—the furnace blast that hit them as they opened the outside doors was like being hit in the face with a towel soaked in hot oil.

The outside atmosphere stopped the two of them as if they had walked into a wall. "Oh-dear-_God,_" Kim exclaimed. "This is _horrible!_"

Even from a few steps out into the searing, blazing late-afternoon heat, William was already swiping at his brow; rivulets of sweat were seeping from his sideburns and down his cheeks, just in front of his ears. He stabbed his free hand into the pocket of his oversized running pants as they began to descend the short stairway, retrieving his key ring and pressing the button on the small plastic square. In response, a charcoal-colored Toyota Nexus a few slots down from the head of a row in the parking lot came to life, priming its circuits and switching on its fuel-cell powered engine, and lowering each of the side windows about an inch. The air conditioning compressor under the hood also jumped to action, its motion and that of the fans actually making more noise than the whisper-hum from the hydrogen-fueled power source.

As they crossed the curb and started to walk across the lot, Kim couldn't help but to remark at the sound. "Heh…I can hear the A/C from here."

William adjusted the stack of clothes over his shoulder. "And to think I actually debated bringing a change of clothes," he said.

Kim managed a wry smile in the direction of her husband. "I bet yesterday's weather had something to do with how that debate came out."

Their talk was halted by the few blips of the ambulance's siren as it began to wind its way across the parking lot to the street. Kim's expression relayed her thoughts to William as she quickened her pace a bit. They reached the car, Kim testing the heat of the door handle before gingerly pulling at it to open the door. William crossed to the other side, first opening the rear door and bringing the office clothing from his shoulder, slinging them across the back seat. He closed that door and moved to the front door, opening it and sliding into the seat.

Kim had pushed the button to close her window and was leaning toward the vents on the dashboard, now fairly blasting relatively cooler air. She hovered her hands near the vents, slowly turning them back and forth as William adjusted the vent nearest him on the far left side of the dash, directing the flow to his chest, then moved his hand to the console of buttons on the door, raising the other three windows.

Kim reached to slightly bump the volume of the radio until the voice of the announcer was more clearly heard:

:::5:05, KEAS News-Talk Radio, the Voice of Eastgate, reminding again that local authorities are cautioning people about the brutal heat wave gripping the area—heck, gripping just about everywhere else, actually—authorities are saying that if you don't absolutely have a reason to be outside for any extended period of time, then-_don't._ Stay inside, stay as cool as you can. Right now, we have a reading from the airport this afternoon of…it's another record, folks – 117 degrees. This is deadly weather, folks, especially with the humidity level up as well…and they're not calling for it to let up for a while. Tonight's low is forecast to drop back into the low- to mid-90s…then back into the oven again tomorrow, with forecast temperatures of anywhere from 112 to another 117 degrees for a high:::

Kim dialed back the radio's volume as the siren of the ambulance shrieked into full song, the rescue unit pulling onto the street and accelerating to the west in the direction of the hospital. Kim looked to the street, following the motion of the ambulance until she caught her husband's glance with the return of her worrisome expression. William answered this silent message by shifting the car into gear and sliding out of their parking slot, starting for the street to follow the wailing of the siren.

At the hospital, they found parking not far from the entrance to the Emergency Room, and rushed inside, filling in information at the counter. A nurse pulled Tina's records from the hospital database, including her list of medications and primary doctor, who was paged and brought up to speed on her symptoms and condition.

As emergency staff worked to try to stabilize Tina, Kim placed her call to Marcy, recounting the sequence of events of the frightening incident in the lobby of Meridian. Marcy, who had left work earlier in the day, reacted with immediate concern over their close friend and said that she would come to the hospital a bit more toward evening, hesitating only because of the horrific weather conditions.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

Eastgate General Hospital  
Intensive Care Ward  
Outside Room IC-14  
8:21 PM.  
Kim pressed a bit closer to the large window of the low-lit room, watching as a nurse tended to her duties of taking readings of Tina's vitals every 30 minutes and recording them on an electronic clipboard kept on the table next to her bed. Tina's sister, Mary, stood a foot or so to Kim's left, also looking through the open Venetian blinds.

Inside the room, Tina had been dressed in a gown and was covered with only a sheet, pulled up to about the middle of her torso. There was a cool compress laid across her forehead, which the nurses changed whenever they would take readings or moved her to change her position or bedding.

William returned from a water fountain some 15 feet away to join them, also watching for a moment. "If one didn't know better," he said, "one might just think she's sleeping."

Kim nodded slowly. "Yeah," she replied softly. "Well, rest is a good thing for a fever…and they said that she had a temperature of 105 this afternoon…so it's good that she's not more active right now."

"I don't think I'd want to be very active if I had a temperature that high," said William. "Even if it wasn't this hot outside."

They continued to watch as the nurse readied a syringe and inserted the needle into a port in Tina's IV line, applying the fluid inside it, then made a short note on the clipboard. She replaced the clipboard on the table and walked to the door, opening it quietly and stepping out.

Kim turned to the nurse as she slowly let the door catch against the latch. "Hi," she said.

"Hi, the nurse returned. "She seems to be responding to treatment in the last hour or so. She even regained consciousness for a moment while I was in there, but she didn't say anything…she's still pretty weak. Just opened her eyes for a moment."

Mary let out an audible exhale of slight relief through a small smile at this news. "Does that mean that she's getting more stable?"

"That's what we're working on," the nurse said. "Her temperature is down about a degree, and that's good…but her blood sugar is still elevated and her blood pressure is still pretty low. We're continuing the insulin to regulate the blood sugar, and I just gave her an injection of B-12 to try to raise her blood pressure."

"She always tries to keep her blood sugar under control," said Mary. "I don't know what would cause it to be high."

"Dehydration can cause that," the nurse said. "That and the low blood pressure. We're also continuing the rehydration IV."

"There you go, Little Sis," Mary said, turning her head to the glass. "After you get out of here…less tea and more water for you."

The nurse nodded at this. "Water is important, but even more so in weather like this."

A rather comely, well-proportioned Hispanic woman stepped through one of the double doors at the other end of the Intensive Care Ward and started toward the nurse's station. She stopped a few feet short as she spotted the trio outside the room and turned, heading in that direction at a slightly quicker pace. Like the others, she had dressed light, a t-shirt and mid-length twill running pants. Her thick black mane of hair was drawn back into a ponytail, gathered high to keep the ebony cascade off her neck.

As she neared them, Marcy placed her small purse on a counter under the window and moved to embrace each of the three. "Hi, Hon," she said as she slid her arms around Mary. "I came as soon as I thought it wasn't dangerous outside."

Mary immediately made note of the heat from her friend. "Of course," she nodded. "Nobody should really be out in that."

Marcy glanced at one of the large clocks spread out on various walls of the ward. "It's getting near 9…and the radio said it's still over 100. I can't believe this." She then turned to peer through the glass of Tina's room. "How is she…?"

"We just spoke with a nurse a moment ago," Mary replied. "She's showing a little improvement…but it's slow. They told me that it can have something to do with her being diabetic."

"I left work about 11 in the morning to take Valencia to a doctor's appointment, and it was bad, even then," said Marcy. "This humidity is driving her allergies crazy. We got out of the doctor's office a little after 1, and…it was just like walking into a campfire. Vale' went straight upstairs when we got home and got right into the tub to soak in cool water. She's just miserable from this heat."

William looked toward Marcy. "We need to do something before any more people get sick from this weather," he said.

Marcy turned to him. "Maybe we can set up more people to telecommute…"

William slid into a bit of a smile as memories surrounding his telecommuting experience came to him. "I remember how well telecommuting worked," he grinned, "except it was the middle of winter, instead of in heat like this."

"It was also the same week we met," added Kim with her own wide smile as William nodded. "Carolyn in Data Ops can pitch in there, too," Kim continued to Marcy. "…help set up people who don't have everything they need."

William thought for a moment. "That still leaves the people who don't have high-speed access at home…or who don't have computers that would be up to the task…"

"How about flex time?" offered Kim. "Or maybe even a schedule change? Shift their hours so that they wouldn't be going to or from work during the hottest part of the day."

Marcy nodded. "I'd like to discuss this with the rest of the Board tomorrow morning. I think everyone would get on board with it, given what's going on." She then turned to the other three. "…I don't suppose anyone has eaten anything…"

"William and I went down to the cafeteria and had a little something after they got Tina settled in the room," Kim said. "That was about…6:30 or so."

Mary averted her eyes downward and slightly to the side. "I'm…not all that hungry…" Marcy responded with a slow nod of understanding, placing a hand lightly on Mary's upper arm.

"If there's a meeting tomorrow on the telecommuting," William said, "I have my phone and pager. I could be there via conference call."

"We're…staying here with Mary tonight," Kim said softly, nodding toward Mary's expression at hearing this. "There's a small waiting room for patients' families across the hall from the ward…there are a couple of couches in there for us to catch some sleep."

Marcy couldn't help but to spread into a small smile, knowing the depth of Kim's commitment and concern for her friends and their health and safety. "I don't mean to run, but I should get back home to my own patient," she said. "You can probably expect a call in the morning," she said to William. "I'll want to start presenting this plan tomorrow." She then turned to Mary. "Your sister is a fighter," she said. "I have faith in her. If she's anywhere near as tough fighting this as she is fighting snags at work, she'll bounce back from this in no time."

Mary moved to take Marcy into an embrace. "Thank you," she breathed. "And Tina thanks you. I know she doesn't give up easily…but diabetes has been in our family for a long time. Our father had it...and my grandmother on my mother's side." She looked back toward the window. "They didn't have to deal with this kind of heat, though."

"I've lived in eastern Pennsylvania since I was 6," said Marcy, "and I know we've ever had to deal with heat like this."

"There was a woman at the counter in the lobby at work," Kim said. "She has a friend who's an archeologist…she's doing something in Saudi Arabia. The TV said it was as high as 160 degrees there."

Marcy reached into her purse, bringing out a pad and paper and scribbling on it, then pulling off a sheet and handing it to Mary. "This is my cell number," she said. "I'm coming down tomorrow evening, but if anything changes before then, please give me a call." Mary nodded as Marcy gathered up her purse over her shoulder. She then turned to William. "I'll page you before we start any conference call. It might be a bit early."

"I'm sure it won't be any earlier than I usually get up," William grinned.

"I'll touch in with Rita in the morning," added Kim, "and a few of the zone sups. They all know their work, but someone should know why the admins aren't there."

Marcy nodded – then looked once again through the glass to the room with the barest of smiles. "Goodnight, Tina," she said. "See you tomorrow."

Mary grinned at this. "If she wakes up before you come, I'll pass that along."

Marcy nodded again, checking that her purse was closed. "Well…back out into the oven. Everybody try to get some sleep tonight."

"'Night, M," Kim smiled. "Give Vale' a kiss for me and tell her we're thinking about her."

Marcy gave a wave to all and turned to start for the doors to the ward.

The three returned the wave, watching for a moment as Marcy disappeared through the doors – then turned as a nurse approached. "I'm just going to change her compress," she said as she quietly turned the handle to the room.

Mary watched as the nurse removed the damp cloth from Tina's forehead and moved to a small sink on the other side of a partition near the bed. "Listen to your boss, Little Sis," she said softly. "Be a fighter."

Kim moved near Mary, placing an arm around her waist in support as the two watched the nurse apply a fresh compress gently over the slightly moist skin of Tina's forehead, her hair matted and brushed back.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

The next day there were very few people calling in to say they would not be in to work at Meridian that day. Whether it was from the commitment of the workforce, or merely because of their will to prove, even if only to themselves, how "tough" they were by continuing to brave the intense heat wave – even in the face of the difficult conditions, less than 30 of the 1,100 people employed at Meridian had called in.

In the Processing department, announcements were made during the morning about the incident befalling Tina the day before, and an update on her condition. This prompted an immediate response from the floor, with a large posterboard being placed on the wall near Tina's office where people could come up during the day and write messages wishing her a quick recovery and return to work.

There was a table set up near the front of the floor during the day, where a couple of people sat with stacks of forms for people to either fill out or renew the contracts for them to telecommute, including filling out confidentiality contracts and other information such as their internet provider and a short list of their equipment at home, comparing it to a list of what was required for them to work from home electronically. Kim's friend and former supervisor in the Processing department, Carolyn Ackerman, was also present at the table, working with people on where to get the components they needed and even setting up appointments with members of the Tech Support crew from Data Operations for those who needed assistance in gearing up their systems for the task.

Throughout the day, the main topic of discussion among the workers, whether in the lunch room or gathered in a small momentary random group around a desk continued to hover around the ferocity of the record temperatures gripping half the globe, but more specifically focused on the local level. Talks ranged from care for elderly relatives and children to suggestions on ways to "beat the heat". Comments also touched on theories about what officials would be planning to do to assist the populace, especially those less equipped to deal with the brutal temperatures.

At the hospital, Kim and William spent the day accompanying Mary Drexel in her continuing vigil for her sister and her slow uphill journey against the effects of her heat stroke. Early that morning, William was paged by Marcy, and was lent the use of a nurse's office for privacy while he participated in a conference call with the other members of the Board of Regents discussing details of how to adjust the load of the workforce to better deal with the ravages of the weather.

Later in the morning, Kim first called Marcy to relay word on Tina's condition, then contacted Rita for an update on any issues in the department. Both Kim and Tina had come to appreciate and trust the level of Rita's commitment to her work and her awareness of the general mood of the workflow.

In the afternoon, a nurse informed Mary that Tina's blood sugar was progressing toward a less dangerous level, but her low blood pressure remained a concern. About 3 O'Clock, a nurse opened the door to the room a bit and motioned Mary with a finger to enter. She approached the bed to find Tina had regained consciousness enough to not only recognize Mary, but even managed a weak smile upon the appearance of her older sister. The contact only lasted a few minutes until Tina again drifted back to sleep, but it was a definite good sign. Mary emerged from the room to hug Kim, who had watched the short visit and also had a smile of some relief.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

Nathan had sent the figures he had compiled to his colleague in Seattle early the first Saturday of the previous month, as he had told Jennifer he would. Even though he had also told her he would "sleep over the weekend" – that sleep came fleetingly as he spent much of his time checking both his home and work email accounts for any response to his findings.

No word came through on that weekend; instead, Nathan was contacted by phone on the following Monday by Ted Oliver, who had spent the weekend in much the same manner that Nathan had spent the week preceding it, poring over the figures and equations sent to him. Ted told Nathan that, before he called, he spent some time on the phone with a couple of scientist acquaintances at the Johnson Space Center near Houston, Texas, and that they had asked for a copy of Nathan's work on the recent deviations in the Earth's magnetic fields.

Ted's next call came the following Thursday. He said that the scientists hadn't been generous with any initial details upon going over the figures, but that they found the work "worthy of note". They had decided on a bit of research of their own based on Nathan's equations, wishing to see if there was any link in these events and the continuing upsurge of power losses across the American continent, or perhaps the loss of the communications satellite over the Asian Pacific in April. In addition to the data, the scientists had also requested Nathan's email address at the lab, to shorten the relay should they have any definitive result. Upon this news, Nathan knew he shouldn't set himself for an immediate return contact from the Space Center on his research. He went about other tasks and schedules, and assisting with his co-worker Jennifer on a few projects. All the while, the data on the weakening of the Earth's magnetic fields remained near the forefront of his mind.

One week turned into two, and two into three. It was nearly the end of May before any response came from the scientists in Houston with word of their study into his data. While the contact itself brought a bit of relief, the contents of the report he received brought no solace to Nathan, much less insight. The scientists had formed a research panel to delve into Nathan's findings, and after three weeks of study and number-crunching, they found that there was nothing they could easily point their finger at as a cause for the relatively rapid changes in the magnetic fields surrounding the planet; no near-Earth objects in nearby space. No surge in sunspot activity. There was nothing in their report that could even point Nathan in any direction, much less offer a hint of an explanation into the variations of the fields.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics  
La Jolla, CA  
Geosciences Research Division  
Lab 2-A  
Thursday, June 5th  
6:08 PM.  
Nathan turned to push his shoulder against the aluminum-frame door leading to the offices of the laboratory, having returned from the break area. One hand held a cheeseburger from the machines, the other a package of "Tater Tots" – potatoes shredded and formed into small round discs around an inch in diameter. Both selections had been heated in the microwave. Under one arm he had trapped a can of soda.

His entry brought a smirk from his co-worker as he passed her desk. "Death by Carbohydrate?" asked Jennifer. Nathan turned as she gave a nod in the direction of his choice of nutrition. "That stuff will finish you before this heat does," she added with a sly grin.

Nathan looked down at his meal – then back to Jennifer. "…I know, it's not the healthiest food," he admitted, "but, it is fuel to keep me going."

"I suppose something would have to," said Jennifer. "It sure can't be that couple of hours of sleep a night you claim to get."

"I've never been much of a sleeper," replied Nathan.

Jennifer's expression then shifted to a slightly warmer smile as Nathan started toward his desk. "You need something to occupy more of your time…something that will actually make you tired."

Now it was Nathan with a smirk as he set his food onto his desk. "This isn't a thinly-veiled request for me to babysit your kids, is it?"

This caused Jennifer to burst out with a quick giggle, then an expression of mock thoughtfulness. "Not a half-bad idea," she said. "Between the figures and the fish, they'd be sure to get enough sleep."

Nathan's expression broke into a grin. "Oh sure…pick on the guy with no wife, no kids and no life."

Jennifer chuckled again as Nathan settled behind his desk, setting aside a small stack of papers to place the burger in front of him, unwrapping it and taking a large bite, then wiping his hands on one of a group of napkins he had brought with him to insulate his hand from his microwaved meal. He leaned slightly to his left, peering over the edge of his monitor to see Jennifer with a furrowed brow of slight disgust, which brought a mouth-full grin of satisfaction to his face.

Nathan then reached to the right on the desk, giving his mouse a nudge with his thumb to wake his computer, then curling his palm against it, bringing the cursor to the icon on the taskbar to restore his email program to the screen. A small group of new messages appeared at the top of the "Inbox" tab. "Email and burgers," he beamed. "Can't think of a better way to spend a Thursday evening."

Jennifer breathed out another chuckle through a grin, shaking her head slightly.

Nathan took another bite of his burger as he checked down the new email arrivals. "Hey," he said, "here's one from Maryn in Houston…maybe she has some more information."

"Maybe they found out about your burger addiction," Jennifer quipped.

"Oh, har, har," Nathan shot back, rolling his eyes. "Back to your bean curd, Tofu Girl." This brought a chuckle from both of them.

Nathan opened the email, reading the message. "This is kind of weird," he said slowly.

"Hm?" his co-worker mused.

"The subject just says, 'Hey Boy Scout'," continued Nathan. He read for a few seconds; then reached to the floor to his briefcase in front of the drawers and brought it onto the desk, opening it and retrieving a small device, pressing a couple of buttons to activate it. He studied the small screen on the device for a few moments – then raised his head slowly. "Hey Jennifer? Do you have your GPS with you?"

"Always," Jennifer replied. "It's the only way I can keep track of which golf course my husband is playing at on any given Saturday. Why?"

Nathan looked at the screen again. "Do me a favor and get a reading for me?"

Jennifer opened the lowest drawer on her desk and brought out her purse, setting it in her lap and opening it. She pulled out a device similar to Nathan's and turned it on, watching the screen come to life. "Okay?" she said, "what am I look—hang on…it's calibrating."

Nathan's brow lowered slightly. "Yeah," he said softly. "Mine keeps doing it. Let me know when you get something."

Jennifer continued to look at the screen until the image stabilized somewhat – then raised her head, turning to her co-worker. "Okay," she sighed, "mine has lost its mind…"

"Same here," said Nathan. "Where are you?"

Jennifer re-read the screen before it blanked again as it went through its recalibration cycle. Her answer was tinged with disbelief. "…Riverside?"

Nathan nodded. "Here, too…maybe a mile or two to the west."

Jennifer's disbelief at the screen continued. "That's…that's almost 80 miles north of here."

Nathan read his screen again. "The email said to take a look at a GPS…that 'something is changing'," he said. "They said their readings were about 50 miles off an hour ago when they first noticed it…now it's 80 miles?" He set down his device and turned to his keyboard, pushing his dinner aside and typing quickly. "I want to forward this to Ted, if they haven't sent it to him already."

Jennifer took another look at her GPS screen until the device again blanked out to reset. She shut it off and placed it on her desk. "A few meters variation, I could see," she said, "maybe even a mile...but…80 miles…? I don't get it."

Nathan continued to type. "Well, Houston said it…something is indeed changing…but now the question is, what?" He stopped for a few seconds – then moved to his mouse, clicking to send the message to Seattle. "Maybe Ted can point to something," he said.

He then settled a bit into his chair, reaching again for his GPS. "Something is moving that shouldn't be…and if it's supposed to, it's moving a lot faster than it should be."

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

William returned to work the next day. Kim remained at the hospital, keeping Mary company and staying knowledgeable about any small change in Tina's condition, good or not, and relaying the information to her husband and Marcy when they arrived in the evening. Kim eventually returned to work on Thursday. She spent quite a bit of time talking with people about the incident on the previous Tuesday, and how Tina was doing in the days since then.

During the day, Kim's mind was focused on matters at work and the tasks of balancing workflow to keep daily processing at a high level, while taking into account the level of mental strength of the rank and file in the face of the horrendous heat wave still ravaging them outside. Kim made arrangements to help the workers battle the fatigue, calling in the water company that had been in the building all week and having them keep watch like restaurant staff, walking the floor with several carts stocked with pitchers of ice water and fresh chilled fruit, diced into bite-size pieces.

At work, Kim was all business; but the moment she closed her door for the day, Work Mode switched off like the lights in her office. She would then be off to the hospital as fast as traffic would allow to spend the evening with Mary and Tina. Mary would wait until Kim's arrival, and then after a short consultation between them and the nurse, they would head to the cafeteria for a meal, usually with William, who would arrive in his own car. They were also sometimes joined by Marcy who would stop by after dinner.

During the evenings, as the nurses would tend to Tina's needs, Kim would also see to Mary's, lending continual support and company. There were times when the nurse would allow some time for the women to spend at Tina's bedside when she was conscious, and even though still mostly quiet and weak, she could manage simple one- or two-word whispered replies. Kim would sit quietly by while Mary would talk to her sister, relaying well-wishes from relatives. On the instances when Mary would step out into the small waiting room to place phone calls or to take a short nap, Kim would remain near, talking to Tina, whether awake or not, and reading cards collected from co-workers that day wishing her a full recovery, or reading a short story from a book that she had brought. On Saturday evening, Kim even treated the entire staff on shift that night, ordering out for pizza for the entire ward.

When it came to work, Kim was all business. When it came to her friends and their well-being, Kim was all heart – and to many of her friends, that heart was warmer than any heat wave.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

Air National Guard 111th Fighter Wing  
Off-Base Housing  
1121 Fairchild Avenue  
Saturday, June 7th  
11:14 PM.  
"Mark…?"  
The soft voice at the doorway brought Mark from under the hood, turning to see his wife with a beverage in each hand. "Hi there," he said.

"I have made another pitcher of lemonade for us," said Melfina. She stepped through the doorway and down about six inches onto the garage floor, motioning a glass of the chilled liquid to Mark as he wiped his hands, setting the cloth onto a small table near the front of the car.

He took the glass, taking a sip. "Oh, yeah," he smiled, "that's just perfect."

Melfina grinned in response, taking a sip from her own glass. "Yes," she agreed. "The mix of the sweetness and a slight tart taste from the citrus is quite refreshing." She then turned her head back to a large fan running a few feet to the right of the doorway. "Is the fan helping?" she asked.

Mark nodded his head toward the doorway that Melfina had appeared through. "That, and leaving the door to the kitchen open," he said. "It's still warm…but nothing like it would be without the fan and A/C coming through."

Melfina responded to this with a slight furrowing of her brow. "Yes…and with the increased output of the air conditioning, the inside of the house is…quite chilled."

Mark took another sip of his lemonade, placing the glass on the small table, then picked up a box and a small tool near the glass. "I don't have much more to do here before I call it a night," he said, opening the box and sliding out a small part, placing the box on the table. "We can open the garage for a little bit, and that can even out the temperature in the house." He then turned the small part in his hand, bringing the tool to the larger end. "In fact, I'm just going to gap these plugs. I'll put them in tomorrow night."

Melfina reached for the part as Mark placed it on the table and took another small box from the table, removing another of the same parts, also applying the tool to it. Melfina slowly sat down onto a small stool, studying the small ceramic-and-metal piece in her hand as Mark applied a wire from the tool against the end of the part he had. Melfina lifted her eyes to her husband. "Mark?" she asked. "Do you remember saying that you would inform and instruct me on any questions I might have about this vehicle?"

"I did," smiled Mark, "and I will. What would you like to know?"

Melfina slowly turned the small piece in her hand. "It concerns these…'plugs'," she said slowly. "I am wondering what it is that you are plugging…and if they are to be 'plugs', why is it that they must have a…gap? Does not a gap in something meant to be a plug defeat its very purpose as a plug?"

"It's…not that kind of plug," grinned Mark, reaching for a third plug and thinking for a second. "Think of an electrical outlet. The plugs carry a small electrical charge to the engine so the car will run."

"Aha," Melfina perked. "So it is an electric vehicle! I had thought I remembered you telling me that it runs from gasoline."

"It does."

"Then why would it also require electricity?"

"The electric charge causes a spark across the gap of the plug that fires the gas. That's what makes the engine run."

"Ah!" Melfina perked again, this time with a wide grin. "Then it has earned its name. It truly _is_ a Firecat!"

Mark returned a forth plug to the table and reached for a fifth, sliding it from its small box. "No, 'Fina," he drew out slightly. "Again…Fire-_bird_." He applied the wire from the tool against the larger end of the plug. "Hm," he muttered, "most of these are dead on right out of the box..." Before reaching for a sixth plug, Mark thought for a few seconds – then a smile crossed his face as he took a step back along the side of the car. "Here you go," he said, bending to pat his fingers lightly on the lower half of the door, toward the front of the panel, against a series of letters raised from the mirror-surface of ebony. "'Trans Am'," he said, raising his head to meet Melfina. "Call it a 'Trans Am'."

The gaze from Melfina was not the look of clarity that Mark was hoping for. "I…thought you had said that this vehicle is a 'Fire…bird'," she quizzed. "Now you are saying it actually has _two_ names? This is meant to end my misspeaking its name by adding another, having nothing to do with the first?"

Mark fought the urge to take a deep breath, walking instead to stand in front of his seated wife. He slowly crouched to one knee until he was just below eye-to-eye level, cradling the spark plug. "It's…not really two names," he started in a soft voice, his slight smile indicating his desire to impart understanding of his present mechanical pursuit to Melfina. "The 'brand name' for this car…is Pontiac. They have made many different models over the years…"

Melfina motioned toward the closed garage door. "…As in the Hydroja we lease from the base?"

Mark's smile widened a little. "Yep…a good example. That car is known as a Pontiac Hydroja—" He brought a hand back in the direction of the vehicle now behind him "—this one is a Pontiac Firebird."

The expression of confusion began to creep back onto Melfina's face. "But…'Trans Am'…"

Mark's smile continued. "Each model of Pontiac is available in different levels of trim and equipment…different powertrains, accessory packages…the Hydroja HLX has more accessories and options than the HSX we have."

Melfina's expression began to shift a bit, along with her understanding. "So," she mused, "each model can be considered a form of…subset of Pontiac…and the trim level…is a further subset of that particular model…?"

"Bingo!" Mark beamed. "Different levels, with each name further identifying the particular car." He again motioned behind him. "And this one, using all the names for the different, umm, subsets…is a 'Pontiac Firebird Trans Am'."

Melfina repeated the full designation through a growing smile as she placed the spark plug she was holding onto the table. "Pontiac Firebird Trans Am."

Mark stood, still with his wide smile, placing the spark plug and the tool on the table, then motioning a hand to his wife, bringing her to stand and turning to stand next to her, his arm sliding to her waist. "Pontiac Firebird Trans Am," he said again. "You have it exactly."

They stood for a moment, looking over the sinister obsidian sports coupe, taking in the image like parents-to-be. Melfina brought up her hand, tracing a fingertip over her husband's forearm. "…Mark?" she asked with a slight coy purr to her voice.

"Yes, Hon?"

Melfina motioned to the car in a slow arc of her arm. "'Pontiac Firebird Trans Am' is such a long description…would it be acceptable to give it a…moniker that would be quicker and easier to use in conversation when referring to it?"

Mark thought for a second. "You mean like a…nickname?" Melfina nodded quickly in response. "I don't see why not," said Mark.

Melfina's smile now widened. "Then, for quick reference during conversation, its nickname shall be known as…'Firecat'."

Mark looked down to his wife, the warmth of his love for her spreading over his expression.

Melfina returned that same look to Mark – but added a short phrase, with a slight sparkle of triumph accentuating her smile: "I win," she cooed.

Mark started with a low chuckle as he slowly realized how he had been verbally bested by his wife. The chuckle grew a bit as he wrapped his arms around Melfina in a warm embrace. "Go turn down the A/C," he grinned. "I'll open the garage for a little bit." Melfina responded by leaning up to place a tender kiss on Mark's lips, then turned to walk into the house.

Mark turned as well, pressing a switch on the wall to raise the garage door, the still oppressive night air rushing in to greet him. He walked slowly to the door as it finished its travel, stepping a few feet out into the sultry heat.

Melfina appeared at the doorway, looking first to the open door, and then to her husband. "Mark…?" she offered softly. She advanced toward the door, following the motion of Mark's hand to join him.

As she stepped onto the driveway, Melfina's arm slipped around that of her husband, who was looking up into the sky. "Do you see that?" he said, raising his other arm, a finger extended into the night.

Melfina looked up at what Mark was indicating; brilliant flowing streams of light with all the colors of a rainbow, willowing lazily back and forth, almost like a curtain of light. "It looks like…the Aurora," she said slowly, her eyes drinking in the sight.

"It sure does," said Mark, "but I've never seen it so prominent this far south…and I've never seen it anywhere in the middle of Summer." Mark then turned toward the garage as Melfina continued to gaze at the celestial display. "I'll be right back," he said. "I want to get the phone and find out who's working overnight at the Weather Center…see if they're seeing this, too."

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

William walked through the doorway to his office and settled into the chair behind his desk. "Nothing like work after a good lunch," he said, reaching for a sheet of paper from a stack to his left. He looked over the sheet for a few seconds – then took a pencil from a small holder made of thick wire and applied the eraser to the paper, swiping back and forth over a group of numbers. "No, no, no," he said, shaking his head in disgust at the disappearing figures, "these launch vectors will never do." He then stopped, clearing crumbs from the paper. "And since when do I work with things like launch vectors, anyway??"

His comment was accented by the ringing of the phone. He pressed a button on the console. "William Hodge."

"Buddy!" burst through the small speaker.

William's face screwed into a perplexed expression at the outburst. "Hmm, no…this is William…"

"William! Buddy!"

William's brow raised a bit as he stared at the phone. "…David…?" he said cautiously. "David Morris?"

"Bingoroonie!" burst from the speaker. "How are ya, Dubya?"

William's confusion at the conversation deepened. "Duby— huh? I'm…okay…I think…"

"Sure ya are," David continued, still in an excited, nearly frantic voice, "just like I've always known ya. Hey, how about this heat, huh??"

"Yeah…pretty hot," said William, still casting a skeptical eye at the phone.

David spoke in a quick pace, as if his time on the phone was short. "Can you stand it? I can't stand it. I don't know how you stand it—"

"Well, if you just stay inside as much as you—"

"Doesn't work," David broke in. "Everything is melting, it's all melting from this heat! The desk is melting, my car is melting, this phone is melting…why, even your wife is melting! How about that, Buddy??"

William now shook his head at the last of David's statement. "My…wife—Kim? What are you talking ab—"

"Go look for yourself, if you don't believe me! I'm tellin' ya man, your wife is melting out in the hallway!"

The call was suddenly interrupted as the intercom broke through the speaker. "Hi, Mr. Hodge?"

"Hi, Aileen," William returned. "What can I do for you?"

"Mr. Hodge," continued Aileen, "I…think you should come out here. Your wife is melting out in the hallway."

William began to rise from his chair, still confused. He punched a button on the console. "Hey listen, David, I have to—"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," the voice came through the speaker, "you have to go because your wife is melting out in the hallway. I told ya, Buddy! But you wouldn't believe me! _Why_ didn't you believe me?? Why? _WHY!??_"

"Why" from David continued from the phone as William walked around his desk and headed toward his outer office and the hall, his pace quickening as he went. He reached the door to the main hallway – and his mouth fell slack—

"…Kim…?"

Across the hallway, near one of the elevator doors, an expanding pool of thick, greenish-yellow fluid surrounded an empty pair of shoes and mid-length skirt, floating near the edge of the liquid. In the middle of this pool floated the bottom of a short-sleeve shirt—

The top of the shirt held the top of Kim's torso, the shirt draped around it almost like a gown. Kim's face was a mix of disbelief and disgust, tinged with abject fear at the growing puddle that was becoming the remains of her own body. Her hair was partly soaked in the increasing mass of the fluid, her head and shoulders still intact, one hand reaching out in the direction of her husband. "William???" she cried. "William? Why!?? Why??"

William burst quickly from the doorway, moving across the hall to take Kim's hand, kneeling close in the fluid. "Kim?" His voice was heavy with his own disbelief and horror of the scene now before him. "What's happening? Kim? Kim!?"

"Why, William?" Kim cried out, clutching tightly to his hand, her other arm beginning to disappear, assimilating into the fluid as she slowly continued to sink. "Why this heat? Why the melting??

"Kim, what is—" William pleaded, looking over the expanding mass of what was claiming his wife. "Kim, I know it's hot, but for God's sake, _don't melt!_"

"Why does there have to be melting?" Kim continued, her voice becoming more frantic as the bottom of her chin met with the ooze, her face beginning to spatter with droplets of the muck from her mouth as she started to scream. "This heat! William, _why!!?? Why?? Whyyyyy—_"

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

Tuesday, June 10th  
2:43 AM.  
William shot straight up in bed. The single small lamp on the nightstand was on.

"Wh-h-yyyyy…"

William immediately looked to the left. Kim was on the floor, crumpled into a heap in front of the nightstand, her body heaving with sobs through her wracked, moaning cries, the phone clutched to her chest.

William moved quickly to slide off of the bed to the floor, reaching for his wife. At his first contact, Kim collapsed into loud, helpless moans broken by long drawn-out sobs, limply giving into William's embrace "Whyyyy??" she moaned desperately. "Wh-hyy-yy-yy…an-eurysmmm-mm…"

William was slightly taken back by this word. He brought the hair from Kim's face, looking into her now crimson eyes. "…You're…?

Kim pulled from his touch for the briefest second, shaking her head. "N-nn-no-oOO-OO!!" she screamed, flinging the phone across the room, then again fell into his arms, the crying now open, splintering any further words into shattered, prolonged wailing…

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

Meridian Insurance  
Tuesday, June 10th  
8:03 AM.  
A single quiet announcement was read through the overhead speakers as workers were still settling into their desks:

:::It is with deep sadness, sorrow and regret that we must report the passing of Miss Tina Lynn Drexel, Assistant Manager of the Processing department, who lost her battle late last evening against a sunstroke suffered one week ago. Viewing and funeral arrangements are pending. Any donations to Tina's sister, Mary, can be made to the Human Resources Offices on the First Floor.

As an action in the face of this horrible tragedy, and as a measure in an effort to prevent anyone else from suffering from the heat wave that we are currently under, Meridian Insurance is immediately enacting what is to be known as a "High Heat Protocol". All employees are to return home immediately and report in for work at 8 PM this evening. Hours of operation will be from 8 PM to 4:30 AM, until further notice:::

to be continued…


	3. Vitae Nocturne

The events surrounding the past week, coupled with the shift in worktimes to the overnight hours, brought a dark, somber cloak over the mood of the workers at Meridian. While it wasn't a case of raised tempers, little was said between coworkers other than work-related matters. The administrative staff tried to apply what measures they could to stabilize the atmosphere of the Processing floor, hiring grief counselors who, over the remainder of the week, had one-to-one meetings with every member of the workforce, offering condolences and words of encouragement in the face of the upheaval of life now being endured with the raging of temperatures, and the blow of losing one of their most valued co-workers and closest friends to those same torturous conditions.

Even though under increased stress from the trauma of this week, production seemed to be holding up, even getting a slight boost, as those contracted to telecommute retained their normal hours, working from home during daylight. This tragedy had actually split the workforce into unintentional double shifts, with processing continuing nearly around the clock between those working at the facility on the overnight, and others working electronically from home through the day.

Kim had remained away from work on this week, having relayed instructions to Marcy to pass on to the zone supervisors of Processing for the continuation of daily work flow. Her main focus this week was to assist Mary in any way she could with the processes of closure of her late sister's affairs, such as contacting credit card companies and other debtors Tina had had contracts with, and going through the belongings in her house, situated on the edge of Mason Park opposite that of Kim and William's house, even helping to pack a few of the more immediate items.

Kim also gave the solid promise to Mary that her assistance would extend beyond just this week, knowing that the task of collecting a lifetime of memories and other things that remained behind after the death of a relative was not something that Kim could stand allowing Mary to go through alone.

Kim was also not going through this alone. During the week, mail chips containing sympathy cards continued to pour into the mail slot at the Hodge home, including one from the Celler environment, filled with messages of sympathy and thoughts of comfort from nearly the entire cast of Kim's show, and other Cellers close to her.

Kim and Mary actually made an appearance at Meridian late in the week, arriving on Friday shortly before Midnight. They were both showing the wear of the week's tasks, with signs of weariness peeking through their otherwise strong façade. Kim had entered the Processing floor wearing a pair of dark glasses, wanting to hide her large, now-bloodshot Celler eyes from both the caring and the inquisitive.

The two walked directly from the entrance to the floor to the door of Tina's office, now having been closed for the better part of two weeks. Kim produced a key from her purse and they entered the office, closing the door behind them and setting about the task of collecting and packing Tina's personal effects, including a series of artwork from the walls, and even a small framed autographed picture of Professor Dementor, Tina's favorite from Kim's Disney series of so many years ago, which Kim had requested be sent by Wade. Several times during the process, Mary or Kim would happen across an item or knick-knack, instantly recalling a humorous or memorable anecdote connected to the item – and the recounting of the small tale nearly always produced the same result: tears in memory of a departed sister and friend.

Toward the end of the now-shifted work day, Kim emerged from the office to engage in a short conversation with some of the supervisors and workers, trying her best to graciously accept compliments of support, coupled with hugs and other words of condolence. During the last part of the shift, envelopes had been passed among the floor, collecting further donations, and were given to Mary, also tearfully grateful for the support of the Meridian staff.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

The funeral for Tina Drexel was held early on the following morning, Saturday the 14th, scheduled to begin at 6 AM, in light of the continual ferocious temperatures. Announcements of the service's time and date previously spread throughout Meridian resulted in an attendance of over 400 people, come to pay their respects. Lights were erected near the site to provide added light to the barely post-dawn ceremony, which was marked with a moving eulogy delivered by Kim, faltered several times as she fought back her emotions to finish the verbal tribute to her dear friend.

Tina's casket was constructed of a darkened maple, polished to a rich finish and fitted with simple bronze corners and handles. As the ceremony progressed, various of Tina's closest friends passed near the casket, stopping for a moment to reflect and deliver a few quiet words of love and support to Mary and her mother seated nearby, or just to offer a final good-bye to the coffin containing their loved one.

The closing of the ceremony, after a service delivered by a priest, was accentuated with parting tears from many as Mary and her mother rose from their chairs to each place a single white lilly upon the top of the casket, their stems crossing over one another. Their mother also bent to lightly kiss the top of the casket, offering a final farewell in a note of silent bereavement.

Tina was laid to rest that morning in a plot next to that of her father, who had passed about ten years previous from complications of diabetes.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

The balance of the weekend was quiet; little work was accomplished in the cleaning out of Tina's house, as Mary and her mother chose instead to take this time to spend more privately. Kim chose to be rather isolated as well; after some conversation and tearful remembrances with Marcy and other people from Meridian who worked and spent time with Tina, she came home and asked for some time largely alone, which William readily understood. Kim spent the better part of this Saturday in her darkened office in the basement, lit only by her computer monitor while she purged her email program of Tina's address and messages and saved them to a mini-disk.

The shock of Tina's sudden death momentarily pulled peoples' attention away from the searing temperatures. At the same time it brought a sharper awareness of the dangers that could come with such extreme conditions and focused people more to ways to escape the ravages of the horrendous heat wave they were under.

While the heat thankfully did not increase from its current level, neither did it abate; high temperatures in the area of eastern Pennsylvania continued to reach into the mid-to upper one-hundred-teens, with lows only dipping to the mid-90's – what would usually be considered normal summer highs for the area. Another effect of adaptation to the worsened climate was that many businesses had done as Meridian, switching their hours of operation to a more nocturnal timeframe.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

**3. Vitae Nocturne**

Tuesday, June 17th, 2025  
6:42 PM.  
Kim entered the kitchen in a light short-sleeve button-down shirt over a dark blue mid-length skirt, her mid-heeled shoes clicking lightly over the tiled floor. She set a small purse onto the kitchen table and continued to the stove, where William was coaxing a pat of butter across a skillet. She leaned to offer a light kiss upon his lips. "Hi there," she offered in a soft voice.

"Hi, Hon," William replied. "Did you get some more sleep?"

"Not all that much," said Kim, turning to peek around the rattan shades over the sliding glass doors to the back porch, "but…enough to function." She turned back in the direction of the stove, looking as if she had taken the moment to try putting a lighter expression on her face. "What's on the menu?" she asked, nodding her head in the direction of the warming skillet.

William picked up the skillet, using gravity to guide the butter across the pan in lazy circles. "Nothing fancy," he said. "Just eggs and toast."

"I could do one of each," Kim said, looking again to the glass doors. "I'm not that hungry this morn—err, evening…umm…today."

William nodded, responding by plucking an egg from the carton on the butcher block next to the stove and tapping it against the rim of the skillet, moving to let the shell's contents settle into the pan. "Same here," he said, reaching for another egg and breaking it against the skillet, "but two eggs." He then reached for a third egg, tapping and pouring that into the skillet, and setting the skillet onto the burner. He moved near Kim, who was still looking past the edge of the shades into the back yard. He settled a hand on her shoulder. "How are you doing…?" he said softly.

Kim took in a slow breath, as if trying to be cautious about her answer. "A…little better than yesterday," she started. "I think going back to work might be helping a little…I know that—" she paused for a few seconds, feeling her eyes begin to warm over "—I know Tina would want things to…pick up, just as before…the different hours are still a little hard to adjust to, though."

She then turned to face her husband. "I'm still a bit worried about Mary," she said. "She might be trying to go through things a little too quickly. She's taken a short leave from work. She said that she wants to get Tina's house cleared out this week, and maybe have some sort of garage sale next weekend or the one after that. Her brother Dan is taking most of the heavy furniture…Mary just doesn't have any place to put it."

Kim moved close to William, slowly smoothing her arms around him and settling the side of her head against his chest. William responded in kind, slipping his hands over Kim's shoulders and folding his arms around her back. Kim took in a short breath that might have been interpreted as a masked sob. Her voice in William's embrace seemed small and a bit weak. "The only other time I can ever remember…feeling like this…was when…when Angelica…" William adjusted to hold a bit tighter, feeling the tiny shakes as Kim began to weep softly, trying to control herself.

William lightly stroked Kim's hair with his fingertips. "…I know…I know, Hon," he said softly. "It's hard for anyone to deal with…but it's got to be even harder for Cellers…"

Kim pulled away a bit, looking up to William, nodding slightly. "We…we just had never had to deal with it before," she said as William brushed the trail of a tear from her cheek. "Not until Crosses started lasting longer." She then took in a long sigh, attempting to stabilize her mood. "The longer Cellers were staying…the more we saw the differences between the Celler and Flesher environments. I mean, Cellers do…pass away...in the Celler environment…it's just very, very rare, since we don't age at the same rate there." Kim then returned to William's arms. "Just…just promise me you won't…go anywhere anytime soon."

William drifted his hands slowly along Kim's back. "It's fully my intention to do everything within my power to stay here with you," he said, bringing a warmer embrace in response from Kim. "To live with you," he continued, "to love with you—" he glanced over his shoulder, then brought her to arms' length "—to burn your eggs for you," he finished with a slight smirk, turning quickly to the stove, grabbing the spatula and shaking the skillet a bit with his other hand.

Kim's expression moved to form a smile, thankful for the Flesher closest in her life. She wiped at her cheek and uttered a sniffle and a quick giggle as she watched William's rescue efforts. "Are they?" she mused.

William moved the skillet to a cold burner and edged the spatula under one of the eggs, being careful not to break the yolk. "They're not burned," he said, lifting another of the eggs. "Let's just say they have…attitude."

Kim moved to the cupboard for a couple of small plates as William turned off the stove. They met at the butcher block next to the stove, where Kim set down the plates and slid her arms around William's waist. "Just remember," she grinned, "I like my attitude sunny-side up…like my husband is."

William responded to this by looking again into the skillet. "I'm going to have to check in the mirror after breakfast," he said, turning a finger in the direction of the eggs. "I hope I'm not brown and rubbery on the bottom, like your attitude." Kim now also turned to glance at the skillet, and gave over into a helpless giggle, hugging her husband all the tighter.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

As time progressed further into the first full week of the changes made with the "High Heat Protocol", people continued to make the adjustment to working overnight hours so as not to be as exposed to the increased temperatures. The administrative staff at Meridan made efforts to soothe the transition, keeping a wide selection of teas on hand, and coffee both hot and iced. Supervisors added floor walks to their duties, watching for those having more difficulty with working through the wee hours of the morning, either shifting their tasks so as not to be as repetitive, or inviting some to take a short half-hour "power nap" in the break room.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

Meridian Insurance  
Thursday, June 19th  
12:38 AM.  
Kim waved to a couple of people a few rows away as she walked along an open corridor between arrays of cubicles and continued into the break room, toward one of the sinks. She took a plastic cup from a dispenser on the counter to the right of the sink and then moved a bit more to her right, placing the cup under an ice dispenser, pressing a button to set the machine in motion, chunks and shards of ice beginning to fall into the cup.

Kim's expression became a bit pensive as she watched the ice continue to fill the cup. _Ice,_ she thought. _Who would have thought that something as simple as ice could be a life-saver._ She took the now-filled cup from the dispenser, setting it on the counter, and reached for the faucet to run the water. She slid her hands over the sink and brought her wrists together, moving in small slow circles under the flow. _Cool is good,_ she thought, savoring the sensation of the liquid on her skin. _And now, cool is important. I think Tina taught everyone that…if only it wasn't such a price to pay to teach that lesson. If only we had thought to put the alternate hours in place before— _

Kim mentally shook herself by her collar, stopping her train of thought —_Enough, Kim,_ she thought. _Nobody could have seen something like that coming. I'm glad I was able to talk Mary and her mother out of whether to sue the hospital until the cause of death report came back. That might have just added more grief. It was nothing the hospital did to cause her death. It was an aneurysm deep in her brain. Her blood pressure falling from the sunstroke must have actually lessened it…and when they got her blood pressure to come up, the aneurysm burst. Maybe lowering the blood pressure was her body's way of defense…she couldn't have even known that she had it. No, it would have been in her records if she had seen someone about it._

Kim shut off the water and shook her hands over the sink. She took a couple of paper towels from the dispenser near the sink, drying her hands and tossing the towels into a wastebasket. She then reached for the cup, bringing it to her mouth and passing a cube of ice between her lips, concentrating on playing it around with her tongue to break her mood. She turned to one of the televisions in each of the top corners of the break room, now continually tuned to a 24-hour news station, which was currently showing what one might first consider a Christmas scene as part of a somewhat cruel prank:

:::This is South America::: the announcer started :::but it is not the Andes Mountains. This is a scene from just outside the city of Rio de Janiero, in southeastern Brazil. It is now currently the middle of winter there, and temperatures usually range in the mid-to upper 70s Fahrenheit. This is that same region, but the temperature is now nearing the single digits...and they are currently digging out from under six inches of fresh snow:::

Kim became mesmerized to the screen as the announcer continued :::As regions in the Northern Hemisphere are baking under horrendous heat, cities south of the Equator are also suffering, but under the opposite extreme; brutal cold::: The scenes now switched in quick succession to the announcer's words :::Parts of the Amazon are beginning to clog and back up from ice floes coming from tributaries…portions of the nation of Paraguay are being buried in a blizzard raging down from mountains in Brazil…ships are trapped within the Strait of Magellan as the passage is now experiencing temperatures below zero, and large bodies of ice are beginning to form between the land masses of this shipping lane connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans:::

Kim let out an internal sigh. _If only Meridian had been located in Buenos Aires,_ she thought. _I don't think there's such a thing as 'cold stroke'…you just put on another layer of_—

"There are quite a few of us who have the audio feed from that station playing on our computers."

The soft voice broke Kim's thoughts and drew her eyes from the television to a refrigerator some ten feet to the right. Kim tried to put on a slight expression of greeting and disguise. "Oh…hi Rita," she said. "Didn't hear you come in…"

"Hi Miss Kim," the slender brunette returned as she tugged slightly on the refrigerator door to open it. "I wasn't trying to interrupt you…you were watching the TV…"

"Just for a few seconds," Kim said, bringing up her cup and grinning slightly. "I came in here to get some ice…they don't put near enough in the water from the carts…it's almost like they're rationing it." She then nodded at the open refrigerator. "Lunchtime…?"

"Yeah…" replied Rita, reaching into a shelf on the door and pulling out a couple of small tubes, "…just a little yogurt…"

Kim nodded slightly, smiling a bit more. "Me too…just waiting for William to call from upstairs." She then glanced at the tubes in her coworker's hand. "Listen…you're more than welcome to come to the cafeteria with us, if you'd like something…"

Rita returned the grin, her brow raising slightly. "Thanks but…this is about all I want to eat, as long as it's this hot out," she said, letting the door close softly. "I don't dare eat anything too heavy for lunch, or I'll never stay awake until it's time to go home."

Kim nodded again in response. "I know what you mean. I usually just have a salad from the machines, or sometimes I'll make some at home and bring it."

Rita smiled again and turned to leave the break room, but stopped, turning back to Kim. "I…wanted to say," she started, "…this is the first chance I've had to talk with you since you came back…I wanted to tell you how much we appreciate everything you're doing for us…with the different hours, and all the water and fruit and other things…"

Kim's expression lightened a bit at this. "It's not a problem," she smiled. "It's the least we could do for everyone…to keep others from getting sick from this heat."

Rita now took a step back toward Kim, her eyes dropping for a second, her hands meeting in front of her waist. "I also wanted to say…how sorry we all are about…about what happened to Miss Tina." Her voice softened a bit as she continued. "She was such a close friend of yours…and a good friend to all of us here." Rita's mouth now soured a bit into a frown. "We all miss her…we really do…"

Kim felt her heart strings begin to tug at her as the slender girl spoke, noticing her face begin to fall. "Me too, Rita," she said just above a whisper as Rita sniffled to try to regain her composure, "me too." She then pulled back a step, applying reins to her own emotion. She patted her hand lightly on her chest, over her heart. "As long as Tina stays here—" she then slowly swept her hand toward the Processing floor "—she'll always…be here."

Rita nodded slowly, tracing a finger along one cheek. "Yeah," she affirmed softly.

Kim's attention was now drawn to the cell phone pinging on the clip at her waist. "There's Himself," she grinned.

Rita began to walk slowly backward toward the doorway to the Floor. "I'm going back to my desk," she said, raising a hand. "Thanks for the lunch offer." She then stopped at the doorway as she reached it. "And…thanks," she added with an attempted warm smile – then disappeared through the doorway.

_That's good people,_ thought Kim as she reached for her cell. _I wonder if Accounting would want a look at her transcripts. She's all done with college…it's just a matter of time before the right package snatches her out of here._ She opened her phone, smiling at the number shown on the screen – then brought it close, noticing a buzzing coming from the earpiece. "Hello?"

:::…Hivv thhrrf…Rvvdzz fvv szzmm lzzchff?:::

Kim slowly brought the phone from her face, closing one eye and raising her eyebrow at the device. She brought it back to her ear. "…William?" she asked cautiously.

:::Hvvlov?::: the phone buzzed again. :::Knndzz ffzzff:::

"Waaay bad connection, Hon," said Kim. "I can't make out a word."

:::vvIvv czzntf unvf-trzztnnd yvv::: the phone continued.

Kim started in the direction of the doorway, thinking that the many machines in the break room might be causing the interference. "Let me get out here a bit," she said as she walked a few feet out onto the floor. "Okay…better?"

:::Novvvvtff cmmffvng tffhroozzz::: The static through the line was heavier now, fuzzier.

A woman seated a few feet to the left of where Kim was standing turned to her, catching her attention and motioning to her monitor. "Server's down," she said.

This sentiment began to echo across the floor with people reacting in different ways to the loss of connections, some bringing a hand down on their desk, others with groans of "Oh, no" "Aww, man" and other expressions of frustration.

Kim looked over the floor for a moment as peoples' annoyance spread. She turned back to the phone. "Too much static," she said. "Meet me in the caf in 15…we have a little bit of a problem down here." She closed her phone, looking down to the clip at her waist, sliding the phone into it.

As she raised her head to turn toward her office, the room suddenly became an eerie scene of soft greyish-blue light as the fluorescent lighting over the entire floor went out, leaving only the glow of the hundreds of computer screens at the cubicle desks. The sudden loss of light was quickly accompanied by a stoppage of the normal office background symphony – hundreds of mouse buttons and thousands of key clicks reaching a halt as abrupt as that of the lighting. This was joined by another, louder series of groans from the floor, coupled with a few short shrieks.

Kim brought a hand to her forehead. "Ahh, not againnn," she moaned. She stood in the darkened glow for a moment until a series of twin-head emergency lights bathed the floor in a harsher, but only slightly brighter glow.

Kim stepped into the series of cubicles nearest her. Zone supervisors across the floor were taking the same action, moving through their respective assigned areas. "Alright, people," Kim said, walking among the cubicles, "we're set up to handle this. It's just another power outage. If it was something else, the system would have sounded specific alarms."

She glanced at a couple of screens as she continued along a row of cubicles. "The emergency generators will run for about another 15 minutes. Please write down the number of the claim you're working on and the policy number, and save the claim to your local drive. Then proceed to close your software properly and shut down your terminal. When you're done, leave your desk and go out into the hallway. There are people all through the building with flashlights who will guide you down the stairs and then outside. Once you're out there, don't leave, but wait there for more instructions. Try to stay near other people in your zone, so your supervisor can address everyone at once."

The symphony began to spring back to life as people went to work saving their current tasks and shutting down their systems. Kim watched several people recording their current work item information on notepads, leaning forward a bit to see by the relatively weak light from their monitors.

Kim then raised her head to look over the floor as a few of the supervisors had turned on flashlights, shining them to light the floor for workers as they left their desks, assembling near the edges of the expansive room. A low buzz of conversation began to flow over the floor as people congregated away from their desks, the tone a mix of slight relief and an underlying apprehension over this latest interruption to the work flow.

Kim reached to her waist next to the phone clip for a small flashlight, twisting the head to turn it on. She shone the beam between the cubicles of the row she was standing in as people began to rise from their desks and cautiously started through the maze of cubicles to the edge of the floor. As the section she was in began to empty out, Kim started behind them, pointing the flashlight to the floor ahead, near their feet.

As she neared the front of the room, Kim stopped at a cubicle, placing her hand on the shoulder of a familiar face. "Coming?" she grinned down.

Rita turned to Kim, pulling her phone away from her ear. "Yeah," she sighed. "I was just trying to call my boyfriend at work to see if his power is out too…but all I'm getting is static on my cell phone. I can't even get a signal to dial." She brought up the handset to her desk phone in an offering motion. "This isn't getting through, either. It just rings a couple of times, then goes back to a dial tone."

"I was having some trouble, too," Kim said. She then gave Rita's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "C'mon," she smiled, "let's get outside with everyone else. You can try on my cell once we're out there." Rita smiled at this and reached for her purse.

_So it's not just cell reception,_ Kim thought as the two started for the hall with the others. _No matter which phone William would have used, it would have been just as staticy. _

They continued to make their way along the edge of the room, with Kim making a small side trip to her office to collect her purse and lock the door. As they moved toward the glass doors leading to the wide hallway, Kim looked out over the movement of the workers from Processing, now being joined by some of the people from other floors, looking for a friend or colleague. She noticed the still strange glow of the mass as they moved under the emergency lights, such a contrast from the normal illumination of the large overhead fluorescent lighting, made even more so by the incident taking place in the middle of the night.

Every now and then, the beam of one of the flashlights would stray from lighting the way of the crowd, lifting to a directory on a wall or to the glass-enclosed bulletin board near the array of elevators. There was also the seldom occasional flash of a cell phone camera as people took pictures to record the event for posterity and future conversation. The entire scene was soundtracked by a low hum of conversation ranging from talk about how this outage would set production back, to more casual anecdotes of family and things recently heard or read.

As the crowd neared the end of the wide hallway and began to funnel into the doorway leading to the stairwell, Kim brought her resolve to file this experience as another surreal element to be recorded and stored with other occurrences in the last month of her life. _This isn't getting any better,_ she thought as she stopped to let a couple of people ahead of her into the stairwell, staying more to the rear to light the way of those near the back of the crowd. _Sure, there have been power outages before, no big…but not this many, all at the same time…and so widespread. And it doesn't help that Mother Nature has her tweak on with all this heat everywhere…while the other half of the world is going Ice Age. None of it makes any sense. Maybe…maybe some of this might be a little easier to deal with if…if there was just some point to it…something it was all going toward or leading up to. That way we might prepare for that and just…deal with what's going on now, and—_

"Miss Kim?"

"Hm?"

Kim's train of thought was once again stuttered by Rita's voice. The lithe young brunette was standing about four steps down from the top of the landing, her hand extended slightly. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Kim shook herself out of her moment of inner observation, trying to sneak a smile of slight sheepishness onto her expression. "Sorry," she said, starting to descend the stairs. "Just…thinking for a minute and…got sidetracked, I guess."

As Kim met her on the step, Rita nodded and reached to take her hand as they began to walk down. "I understand, Miss Kim," she said. "With all the horrible and crazy things going on all over the world lately, it's hard to keep a straight head sometimes." Her head dropped a bit as they rounded the mezzanine and continued toward the landing on the next floor. "It…it almost feels as if it's…building up to something…like some movie plot—"

Rita's words stopped as Kim did, halting on the third step down, turning slightly and raising her head as her arm took up slack.

"—but we're…not in a movie," Rita finished slowly, catching Kim's expression of surprise and slight shock at her words.

"Okay…" Kim said through an exhale, "scaring me…you're in my head. I was thinking almost that exact thing up there at the top of the stairs—" she stopped for a beat "—I, mean, the building up part…not the movie part." She took a step down to meet Rita, closing the gap. "I mean, look all over the world," she continued. "There wouldn't be this many people dying in a movie, unless it was some kind of…slasher flick." Kim's face then slid into a slight smile, a mix of sheepishness and embarrassment. "…and the look on my face when you said that would probably make it some sort of comedy," she finished with a slight smirk. The two women broke into a quick chuckle at the lighthearted ending comment, then turned to continue down the stairs to catch up with the people moving through the doorway at the landing to the main floor.

As they made their way through the stairwell doorway leading into the Main Lobby, they joined with the rest of the 1,100-member Meridian workforce that had congregated there, a large portion of the people already moving through the large pairs of double doors in the glass-enclosed atrium of the North entrance. Even though the height of the emergency lighting only cast the lobby in a soft, weak light, it still provided a rather stark contrast to the darkness outside.

All of the double doors of the Atrium had been blocked open for easier and quicker egress of the crowd, now spilling out across the large expanse of concrete steps and ramp making up the entrance to the building, expanding across the curb and out into the parking lot and the night's swelter. Flashlights were now whipping onto people's faces as each of the supervisors moved to congregate the people from their zone into loose but localized groups. People from other departments and floors also filtered to their designated groupings so the heads of their departments could get a cursory head count. Lighters and matches also came into play as well as small flashlights some had with them, used to identify a nearby face or to ascertain immediate location.

The concept of _surreal_ revisited Kim's thoughts as she and Rita stepped out onto the ramped walkway, also moving down toward the curb, Kim leading the way, Rita once again finding Kim's hand as she kept close. As Rita cherished the contact in the dark, Kim also welcomed the sensation of friendly touch in the face of this sudden plunge into darkness.

Kim looked up to her left, to the east, toward downtown. The scene was unfamiliar without the landmarks of Eastgate's skyline casting their incandescent and neon signatures against the night sky. Other than the artificial flit or flicker of flashlights and the beams of headlights from the occasional vehicle passing on the street, a slightly less than quarter moon hanging midway in its ascension cast the only light onto the assemblage. The almost oppressive closeness of the evening's heat lent yet another less-than welcome element to the sudden incident.

Kim was pulled away from her observations, turning back to her right at some short conversation some 20 feet away: "Yes, she and Rita were going over that way." This was followed by a "Thank you" from a familiar and welcome voice.

Kim raised her flashlight in that direction almost out of instinct to catch the face of her husband, now making his way in their direction, with Marcy close behind. "There you are," said William, squinting a bit from the sudden light.

"Right out here with the rest," Kim grinned, lowering the flashlight beam. "Seems to be the place to be tonight."

Kim felt Rita's hand slip from hers as William and Marcy approached, the movement seeming to be a bit quick, yet tinged with a slight hesitance. "H-hi, Mr. William," said Rita, a barely-noticeable waver to her voice. "Hi Miss Marcy. I was—keeping Miss Kim company…safe in the dark…"

Kim turned back to Rita with a smile, then back to receive a kiss from William as he moved next to her. "If you watch over her the same way you do with other things at work," Marcy said, joining the group, "I can't think of her being in better hands on the Processing floor."

This was met with a rather obligatory grin from Rita, coupled with a low titter. She then began to turn toward a group in the crowd. "I'm…I'm going to go look for Mike and Alysyn," she said, tipping a finger toward the crowd. "My supervisor is probably wondering where I am by now…"

Kim reached to take the hand of the slender brunette. "Hang on," she smiled, turning Rita's hand palm-up. "Take my flashlight, so you won't get lost."

"…But…"

"You can give it back to me next time I see you. No worries," said Kim, widening her grin and placing the light into Rita's hand, giving it a pat.

"Thanks, Miss Kim," nodded Rita, who then turned to move into the crowd, raising a hand in a wave. "Bye, Miss Marcy, Mr. William." She then started to make her way along the edge of a group, the flashlight's beam flitting occasionally onto the heads of people near her as she went.

Kim watched for a few seconds, then turned back to Marcy. "I've been meaning to talk with you about her," she said. "I'd like someone in Accounting to take a look at her resume. She's got to be passing them out like playing cards, now that she has her Associates…and I'd like to see her stay with Meridian."

"I can do that," replied Marcy. "I'll put on the list to give Anna a call—" she then took a glance around at the darkened scene "—once things get back to semi-normal."

Kim joined Marcy's look over the mass of people, a slight raising of her brow conveying her thoughts before she spoke them. "Well…does this leave us where I think it does tonight?" she asked.

Marcy paused for a few seconds – then let out a long, slow sigh. "It probably does," she said resignedly. "It wouldn't be fair to have everyone out here sweating for half a shift waiting for the power to come back on—" she then pressed a button on her watch to read the lighted face "—it's already after 1…and everyone will have issues to deal with at their homes, without power."

With this, she turned more toward the crowd, cupping her hands to her mouth. "Can I get everyone's attention?" she shouted. "This is Marcy Delgado. We can't have you out waiting in this heat for the lights to come back on…we're going to pack it up for tonight." As the buzz of conversation rose among the people at this news, Marcy again raised her voice. "We need everyone to calmly go to their vehicles…and go home for tonight. If there is anyone with things left inside they need to take with them, go back to the entrance and go to the Information Desk. We'll have people who can lead you back to your departments to get what you need." She then brought down her hands for a second – then resumed the pose. "Either call sometime tomorrow to find out if we have power, or listen to the radio for announcements. Thanks, everyone…and hopefully, we'll see you all tomorrow night."

The crowd began to disperse in different directions, most moving toward the parking lot; some turning back toward the building to retrieve items from inside. While there were expressions of pleasure and relief of being released from the short suffrage in the evening heat, these were also mixed with short conversations of concern over how this most recent interruption of power would mean increased workload and stress once people returned to work.

As the assemblage further dissipated, William turned to Kim. "Anything you need to get from inside?"

Kim held up her purse, William barely making its shape out among the darkness. "I'm good to go," she said.

"Me too," added Marcy. "the security staff should have everything else handled. I'm ready to call it a night—err, day…" She finished with an exhale. "Oh well," she said, trying to adopt a more optimistic tone, "one day it will be winter, and the temperature will actually drop to a humane level."

Kim had to giggle at this. "There's the spirit," she piped. "I'm not the biggest fan of snow, but I'd gladly walk to work through six inches of new-fallen instead of dripping out here in this."

Now Marcy joined in the chuckle. "There's a wish I never thought I'd have," she said. "Hoping that it actually _gets_ cold enough to snow this year."

William brought a handkerchief from his pocket and patted over his brow. "C'mon, Hon," he said. "Let's go drip at home in front of the fan and listen to the radio. The generator will keep us going until the power comes back, if we're stingy with it."

Kim adopted a wide smile. "Air and radio…that's all I need." The two turned to begin across the parking lot to their car, Marcy walking in much the same direction. "I'll get in touch with you tomorrow," said Kim, "one way or another. If the phones are still acting up, I'll drop by."

"Sounds like a plan," Marcy replied with a wave. "Talk to you then."

Kim and William continued to their car, climbing in, with Kim flittering eight fingers at the vents on the dash in a come-hither motion, uttering "Gimmiegimmiegimmiegimmie" as William turned the key. The sudden onrush of air, cooler as it went, caused Kim's eyes to close slowly, a dreamy smile crossing her face as the air conditioning began to cool the interior of the car.

As they arrived at home, William took the opportunity to register a small complaint, having to enter the house and go into the garage through the door to override the opener. While he did so, Kim set about making a small lunch for them – a light salad and some diced chunks of melon, with lemonade to drink. She kept the low hum of the generator in the basement as an ever-present background thought, using only the lights she needed to prepare the meal and keeping the refrigerator open no longer than it took to retrieve or replace containers or ingredients.

If the slew of power outages in recent months had taught one thing, it was the conservation of reserve resources in order to ride out the interruptions in this summer of oven-like temperatures.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

1:59 AM.  
With their meals ready, the two moved into the living room, where William turned on a small lamp to light the room and a small desktop radio while Kim brought the food and drinks on a tray and set it onto the coffee table in front of the couch. As they started in on the salad, they listened to the national 24-hour news station – something they and others had become accustomed to in recent times.

:::Good morning, this is GNN Nation's News Insight. I'm Mike Soto, reporting from Los Angeles, as our New York offices are closed…which brings us to our top story this hour. New York and the surrounding area are part of what is being called the largest contiguous power outage in the nation's history. Nearly the entire eastern third of the country has suffered a sudden, massive blackout, affecting more than 140 million people from the tip of Florida, north along the Atlantic Coast, through Maine and even parts of Canada. The blackout also reaches inland over parts of Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee. Other areas around the country are reporting small localized areas of power disruption:::

Kim interrupted her open-mouthed stare at the radio, turning toward her husband. "…140 million…" she whispered slowly.

"That's nearly the entire Eastern district coverage area," said William. "At least we won't be alone in being behind."

:::Around the country, governments at the local, state and federal level, in addition to scrambling to restore power, are also moving to help those left vulnerable in the face of the unprecedented heat and previous power outages. The larger buildings in cities are being converted to huge multi-story cooling centers, their air conditioning units kept running by massive generators during periods of no electricity. Even now, reports are flooding our studios of large numbers of people already beginning to amass at these centers. Local police are being stationed near the centers to control any outbreaks that might occur, and larger cities such as New York, Philadelphia, Atlanta and others have put in calls for the National Guard to back up law enforcement and crowd control efforts:::

Kim and William now both looked at one another, both of their mouths slightly agape at the tone of the news continuing to pour from the radio.

Kim rose quickly from the couch and into the kitchen, reaching into her purse on the dining room table. "I don't care how late it is," she said, shards of concern tainting the tone of her voice, "I need to see if I can get hold of Ki. They're supposed to be getting out of school in the next week or so, and if it's bearable on campus at all, I'm going to tell her to stay put and we'll come and get her."

She had returned to the couch by this time, already having opened her phone. She brought it to her ear as she settled on the cushion, listening for a second – then pulling it away, closing it and quickly reopening it, repeating the motion. Her brow furrowed as she pulled it away again, closing it more slowly. "…Nothing but static," she said quietly as she brought the phone down to her lap, her other hand moving to clasp the phone between her hands. "I can't even get a dial tone."

William moved to slide his hand over those of his wife, coupling a soft touch with a slight reassuring squeeze. "Let's look at the positives," he said. "Ki is on a campus with several thousand other people. If they're having the same problems there that we are here, I'm sure the Powers That Be on campus will be doing things to keep the kids safe during this." William then let out a small exhale of a chuckle. "And it's not as if our cute little daughter can't take care of herself—" he moved to count points against his fingers with his thumb "—a full Black Belt in Karate…college courses in law enforcement, including firearms…not to mention having another Black Belt there as a boyfriend…"

As she heard this, Kim began to tilt to her left, into William's arms, snuggling further into his embrace as his other hand moved to slowly stroke her hair, "You know…sometimes…you take all the fun out of parental worrying," she said, giving a slight smirk. She then settled a bit more against him, her expression shifting to a warm grin. "But tonight…you've taken the worrying out of worrying." They sat for a few seconds – then Kim began to chuckle softly. "Ki has another weapon at her side, too—" This brought a slightly quizzical expression from William until Kim finished "—an angered Monique." This brought them both to laughter.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

University of California at San Diego  
La Jolla, CA  
Geosciences Research Division  
Lab 2-A  
Friday, June 20th  
3:18 AM.  
Jennifer looked up from her monitor as Nathan came slowly sideways through the now-propped open door, moving carefully so as not to jostle a large box in his arms. Once he had passed through the doorway, he slowly turned straight, his face showing his relief that he hadn't jarred the box, then continued his change of direction to the back of the room where a metal table had been brought in, sitting against the wall.

Jennifer tipped her head in the direction of the box. "They're all in there?" she asked.

Nathan managed a small smile, looking down into the box for a second to an array of water-filled plastic bags, then back to his colleague "This is all of 'em," he replied. "…All but one of the neon Tetras…those things are expert net dodgers. One of them hid in a shell while I was getting the rest…I didn't find him until after I had emptied the tank and was cleaning the other stuff. He just fell out of the shell. By that time, it was too late to save him."

"Neon Tetra," mused Jennifer. "That's the ones with the little stripe down their sides?"

"That's them," nodded Nathan as he continued toward the back of the room.

Jennifer grinned. "Those are the ones that Janey calls 'the racing fish, 'cause they have racing stripes'."

"Yeah," Nathan said as he carefully set the box onto the table next to a rather large aquarium tank. "I wouldn't tell Janey about the one that…left the race, though…she'd be heartbroken, and I don't think I could live that down."

"Funny how the fragility of a seven-year old heart can impart such guilt. I don't know that she'd miss one, though. Don't you have quite a few of those kind of fish?"

"Well, twelve," said Nathan, coming back toward Jennifer's desk, "but she counts them every time she's at the tank. She might notice. I'll see if I can pick up a couple more before she sees them again." He then turned for the doorway again, reaching into a pocket for his keys.

"Do you have much more to bring in?"

"Just some clothes and a few toiletries."

Jennifer's face now slid to a warmer expression. "You know…my offer is still standing. You're more than welcome to stay with me and Bobby. The kids would love to have another science person around the house, and—" she turned to glance behind her desk to the black vinyl couch against that wall "—you'd definitely have a more comfortable place to sleep."

Nathan responded to this with a bit of a smile. "Your offer is really generous," he started, "…but I think this would be better." He brought his arm in an arc across the room. "I'm close to the work…if something hits me in the middle of the night, I don't have to worry about writing it down until I get here…and you just can't beat the commute." His smile then twisted to a bit of a smirk. "And us spending that much time in close proximity might affect work—" his smirk grew a bit more "—not to mention what effect prolonged exposure to a bachelor lifestyle might have on your kids."

Nathan held the smirk for a few more seconds – until Jennifer broke the emotional standoff, letting a "Pffsss" of a snicker escape from her lips, her head shaking slowly as she lowered it. Nathan's face broke into an open-mouthed grin, and he clutched his keys, turning to walk through the doorway and down the hall.

Jennifer raised her head to watch her colleague continue along the glass-lined hallway to the door at the end of it, then turned her attention back to her monitor. "Bobby was a bachelor when I met him," she said to herself in a low voice, a bit of mock smugness to her tone. "It's not that hard to take out of a man…it's like weeding a garden…just take out the weeds, and they're fine."

She turned back to the task she had been working on, entering figures into a database, when the unexpected ringing of the phone on the left of her desk caused her to jump a bit. She turned and reached for the handset. "Geosciences…" her expression flipped to a second of mild surprise, then lightened. "Well, hi there," she smiled. "No…some, but not too much. They must be having some success realigning the satellites to compensate for the static. Doing alright, I guess…things are still operational here, anyway. This is a bit of a pleasant surprise…never talked with you on the phone before." She then listened for a few seconds. "He's here, but he's outside, bringing some things in…he's actually staying here at the lab for a bit…there's no power at his apartment, and no way to beat the heat." Jennifer then glanced to the tank and box at the table near Nathan's desk. "Yep, he just brought them in a little bit ago," she chuckled. "He's just waiting for the tank to cycle before he puts them in."

Jennifer spotted Nathan approaching down the hallway, carrying a suitcase with a smaller case under his arm, his other hand holding the hooks of a group of hangers full of clothes slung over his shoulder. "Hang on just a few secs," Jennifer said into the phone. "He's just coming back in with a load of stuff now." She pressed the "hold" button and turned to the young dark-haired man as he came through the doorway. "Hey, Bachelor," she smirked, tipping a finger at the phone, "you have a call…and interestingly enough, it's not a woman."

Nathan moved into the room, placing his clothes and cases onto the couch. "You'll have to just imagine my chagrin," he grinned as Jennifer breathed out a snicker. He walked back to his desk, sitting at his chair and reaching for his phone, bringing it to his ear. "Spencer," he said into the mouthpiece – then listened for a second, his brow lifting with a bit of the same surprise Jennifer had. "…Ted?" he said with a shard of disbelief. "—y-yes. You'll…have to excuse my surprise, I wasn't expecting a call. No, the static is mostly background." Nathan then tried to shift back into a more professional nature. "I take this to mean that you've heard something from the NASA people."

Nathan went silent, listening. As the seconds continued, Jennifer first shifted her eyes, then brought her head in the direction of her colleague as he was still quiet. After about 20 seconds, Nathan also lifted his head, a look of disbelief returning to his expression. "That's…" he started, "…say that again…?" The pace of his voice now quickened a bit. "Hang on, Ted. I want to put you on speaker, I want Jennifer to hear this." He moved to press a button on the desk receiver, his other hand pulling the phone from his ear, the last three fingers motioning Jennifer over. She rose from her desk and moved to stand in front of Nathan's as he set the handset onto the desk, in front of the phone. "Go ahead, Ted," Nathan said.

A low hiss served as a constant backdrop from the phone speaker :::Hi again, Jen:::

"Hi," returned Jennifer. "Nathan said you had something…?"

:::I do,::: replied Ted. :::I was just telling Nathan, I had just finished a teleconference call with Maryn and some other people in Houston. I wanted to talk with him right away, if the phone lines were up to it. They've…found something in the last 12 hours or so…something that might partly explain what's going on with the climate and sat communications.:::

Jennifer moved to retrieve a small stool from near the wall, pulling it to sit next to the desk. "Okay."

:::They said that they put together some information they've gotten from satellites in geosynchronous orbit…once they regained their signals, that is. They're saying that they're…not as geosynchronous anymore.::: Ted paused for a moment to let his statement take root. :::All their satellites are…misaligned. They thought that it had to do with the fluctuations in the magnetic fields, going by the data I had sent them from Nathan." He paused again. "But it's not just that. They found that the positions and orbits of every satellite around the planet have…shifted…at least, that's what they first thought. But the info from the geosynch sats told them the real story.::: Another short pause, with a few clicks of a keyboard being heard. :::It's the earth itself,::: he said. :::Over the last couple of weeks, the magnetic fields, the poles…even the tilt of the planet…have all been changing…:::

Jennifer and Nathan looked at each other without a word for a few seconds as this news began to sink in. Jennifer was the first to break the silence. "H—how…much of a change," she asked cautiously.

:::They told me that the overall strength of the fields is now roughly about half of what it usually is, factoring in normal fluctuations,::: Ted continued. :::They got most of the core data from Nathan's findings. They also said that within these last couple of weeks, the poles have been on the move. The North Pole is currently just north of Federova, in Central Siberia…at about 77 degrees latitude…:::

Jennifer interrupted him. "Ss-seventy-seven?" she stuttered. "That's…that's a shift of—"

:::About 13 degrees,::: Ted finished. :::And they're showing almost the same change in the tilt of the earth, in the opposite direction.:::

"That would explain the broiler conditions in the Northern Hemisphere," said Jennifer, "and the deep freeze in the Southern…but…why??"

Now Nathan spoke up, leaning toward the phone. "This…this doesn't make any sense," he said. "Where are the signs and effects? The earthquakes? The tsunamis? Never mind the timeframe…a shift even half that size would be a cataclysmic event! The tectonic plates should be doing the Watusi all over the place! This planet should be shaking itself apart right about now."

"That's the unknown factor," Ted said. "They're not exactly panicking…but they're sure scratching their heads over it. They're working day and night to try to find something. But you have the same clues on that that they do…no increase in seismic activity."

Jennifer nodded in agreement with this. "Nothing out of the ordinary."

:::I don't mean to break this news and run,::: said Ted, :::but I'm due at a conference with some people here in Seattle about this. Nathan, I've forwarded you an email from Maryn with some of their data. Let me know if you see anything they don't.:::

"I'll dig into it," Nathan said. "There has to be a missing piece to this, somewhere."

:::Have at it,::: Ted said. :::Good to finally talk with you, Jennifer. Take care, both of you. I'll keep in touch with anything else they give me.::: With this, the line clicked and went to silence.

There was a short moment where Nathan and Jennifer's gaze rose from the phone to meet each other; Jennifer showed a bit of disbelief striped with a tendril of worry pulling one brow upward. She was frozen to the stool, continuing to watch Nathan as he reached for his briefcase, feeling as if she were suddenly lost for thought at the revelations Ted had given them, and at the same time wondering if the motion of her dark-haired colleague was the beginning of the spark of a discovery that had hit him.

Nathan opened his briefcase, bringing out a small brown address book. He opened it on the desk, leafing through a couple of pages – then placed his index finger on the book, pinning down an entry. His other hand extended to the phone, picking up the handset; he glanced back and forth between the book and the phone keypad as he punched out a number, then brought the handset to his ear. "Hello? Hi. Do you have power? Backup generators…wonderful. I was wondering how late you're going to be open today, with the shifted hours and all. 8 AM? Fantastic."

Jennifer's brow raised a bit further as Nathan continued. "I'd like to arrange a withdrawal from my account…both…I'd like to arrange to withdraw the entirety of both checking and savings, less any fees and the minimum to keep both accounts active. Spencer… Nathan…last four of my social is 6621. Yes…yes, one moment." His hand left the address book, moving again into the briefcase to bring out a dark blue checkbook, which he opened on top of the address book. "Okay," he said into the phone, "the checking account ends in 48516…and the savings account ends in…51782. Yes, I'll hold."

Jennifer leaned a little to the desk. "What are you doing…?" she asked in a low voice.

Nathan cupped the mouthpiece, swiveled it down under his chin and leaned forward a bit. "I'm cleaning out my accounts," he said in a hushed tone. "If I were you, I'd be calling Bobby to go do the same."

"But I thought…NASA isn't— Ted said they're not—"

"I don't care what they are or aren't," Ted shot back, still in a low voice, pulling the phone a bit further from his mouth. "They have the facts…but it sounds like that's all they're looking at. They're space people, Jen. Their focus is on what's up there, spinning around us. We're geoscientists. Our focus is down here…and that's where the changes are taking place. You heard what they found…now look at the facts. Look at what you know about sudden changes in magnetic field strength. These things shouldn't be going on without consequences." Nathan's face now showed a more serious expression. "You mentioned my obsessive nature the other night, and 'bleeding the truth'…well, this can't go too much farther without the 'truth' breaking out and hemorrhaging all over us. Something should be coming from of all these changes. Something _big_. Whatever it is—" Nathan suddenly broke the conversation, pulling the mouthpiece back up. "Yes…okay…no, _no,_ I don't want a cashier's check. I'd like the entire amount in cash. Right, then put your supervisor on, I'll speak with him."

Nathan's words and the growing desperate tone creeping into his voice slowly pulled Jennifer from the chair and back toward her desk. She kept glancing back at her colleague as she sat into her chair, reaching for the phone and dialing, attempting to smooth her concern while listening to the rings. "Hi," she said in a somewhat cheery façade. "Are the kids home? Okay. Listen…I want you to pile them into the car and head over to the bank. I need you to empty out the accounts, but leave just what's necessary to keep the accounts open…yes, all of that, too. I'll explain when I get home. No, no, nothing serious…it's just that—please, Honey, I'll explain everything when I get home. Okay. Thank you…love you. Bye."

As she placed the handset back onto the receiver, Jennifer looked back to Nathan, who had risen from his desk and moved to the aquarium, dipping a plastic strip into the water and holding it there for a moment. He then pulled the strip out, studying the color for a few seconds. "This is just about ready," he said. "Time to start moving the kids in."

Jennifer stood and started toward the back of the room as Nathan brought one of the plastic bags from the box, four small fish inside. He didn't open the bag, but placed it into the aquarium, releasing it slowly to let it float. "Got to get them used to the temperature of the tank," he said, reaching for another of the bags. "Just about a minute. Then I can open the bag. This is actually water from when the tank was set up at home, so I can add it right in."

Jennifer now joined Nathan at the box, peering in to see the arrangement of the bags. "You're…awfully calm, for someone who just a minute ago was talking about 'something big' coming."

Nathan brought out a third bag, cradling it in his hand, looking down at it. "I think that's one of the few curses about this work," he said, now raising his hands to look at Jennifer through the bag, two goldfish milling about in the water between them. "We can study facts, we can report trends and indicators, we can observe cause and effect…but we can't really have much effect on what we observe." He turned to the tank, slowly lowering the third bag into the water, careful not to cause much disruption in the surface as the bag settled into a float. "Knowing what I know, and knowing what I've been told…I can have some idea about what to expect…but I can't do anything to change it. All I can do is to get as ready for it as I can…and after I come back here from the bank, I will have done everything I can do to get ready."

Nathan now turned from the tank to his colleague. "I hope I'm wrong, Jen…I hope that I'm flat wrong, and would even take being called 'Chicken Little' by you, and Ted, and others for a while." He then looked into the box to pick out one of the less-populated bags. "But what I hope is being eclipsed by what I know…and my Masters in this field right now…is going against everything I'm hoping."

Jennifer had little more response than to nod slowly as the weight of Nathan's shadowy premonition began to sift into her thoughts. "…Yeah," she said through a breath.

to be continued…


	4. Nox Noctis Eternus

The blackout conditions persisted over the wide region until about mid-morning on Friday, when patches of power began to spring up throughout the Northeast and spread down the Atlantic Coast, restoring light and cooling relief to millions. While the return of electricity left many welcome and grateful, it also left power companies and government officials scratching their heads over the restoration nearly as much as the sudden outage did, as the returns were occurring not as a result of their efforts, but as spontaneously as the outages had. Upon resumption of power, crews immediately set about conducting extensive tests of their equipment looking for a cause behind the massive disruptions of services.

As the lights and air conditioning came back on, most of the populace reacted as they would after any power outage; they would breathe a silent thanks or maybe a few words expressing relief, and then return to their normal routines. Local governments continued their tasks of making sure as many people as possible were cool and safe. Though the workload was lessened as power returned, the job of keeping order and calm still remained. Hardware and chain outlet stores were inundated with orders for generators to keep some power in homes in defense of potential future outages as the relentless summer heat continued.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

**4. Nox Noctis Eternus (The Dark Eternal Night)**

Pennsylvania State University  
Campus Dormitory Building 6-A  
2nd Floor  
Saturday, June 21st, 2025  
3:21AM.  
Kimi reached to pluck her dice from the board, glancing over to a wind-up clock on top of the bookcase as she dropped them into her cup. "What did she say? About half an hour?"

Rufus, who was sitting at one end of the board on the bed, nodded his head. "Mm-hmm," he said. "Half-hour."

Monique slowly stirred her cup, looking over the board. "You know how it is. Wait in line…present the forms authorizing you to pick up another student's records…get all the forms checked and signed…see some people who are leaving early…talk with friends. It's not like picking up a sandwich from the caf." She then looked up from the board, a suspicious smile crossing her face. "Say…you're not using this to try to distract from your impending loss, are you?"

Kimi's expression screwed into an exasperated smirk. "Yeah right," she said. "You're all about know better. You're just on a bit of luck."

Monique shook her cup a bit and spilled her dice out onto the board. "Well something has you a little tweakish." She picked up two of her pieces and moved them over a couple of spots, then scooped up her dice. "Grades?"

Kimi studied the layout of her pieces for a moment. "Just LE App II," she sighed, brushing a long lock of hair from her face. "Weapons…"

Monique looked up from the board, a puzzled look on her face. "Weapons? I thought you've been working with weapons in your Karate for years! What was that thing you and Zach were doing the other day…dancing around, waving those sticks…"

A smile snuck onto Kimi's expression at mention of the word "sticks". "Those are Escrima," she said. "Yeah, that training helps out with the batons we use in class. It's not that…it's—" now her face dropped a bit "—the firearms…"

Monique's perplexity continued. "But…I thought you used a gun when you went to rescue your mom back when Drakken and Shego hacked a Cross…"

Kimi shook her head at her friend's misconception. "That was just a dart pistol. All about totally different." She then moved her legs off the side of the hide-a-bed they were sitting on, standing and walking to the foot of the bed, curling two of her fingers to motion Monique from the bed. "Here, I'll show you." As the light-skinned black woman moved to stand before Kimi, she reached to square her. "Hold your arm out straight with your hand up," she said, "and close your eyes."

Monique bared her teeth in a wince, her eyes narrowing and her head turning slightly. "Y-you're going to hit me, aren't you?"

"Just your hand," said Kimi. "Just keep your eyes closed."

Monique furrowed her brow for a second – then brought her arm up and slowly closed her eyes, bracing.

Kimi turned Monique's hand slightly until it was square – then took a half-step back and extended her right arm until the heel of her hand met Monique's with a light thud.

Monique didn't open her eyes right away, but one eyebrow raised in reaction to the slight impact.

"That's all the kick the dart pistol had," Kimi said. She suddenly squared again, swiveling her torso and uncoiling her arm in the same motion to deliver a harder strike against Monique's hand, the impact shoving her shoulder back.

Monique's eyes shot open, her hand recoiling from the blow. "Hey!" she blurted suddenly, grabbing her hand, her thumb rubbing the bottom of her palm where she had been struck.

"That's the recoil from a .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol," said Kimi with a bit of a satisfied expression at her friend's reaction. "I can punch your shoulder, if you want to feel a shotgun's kick…"

"Nooo, that's okaay," Monique said, still rubbing her hand with a bit of a pained expression. "I think I get it now." She then shook out her hand for a second. "But…don't you take shots like that all the time when you're doing the Karate thing…?"

"Yep," replied Kimi. "Sometimes a lot harder than that…but that's different, too. With kicks and punches, you have even a little sec to prepare…you know _something_ is coming, and you can brace for it. But with a firearm, it's all about more focused at that second on your aim, your backdrop, things other than bracing for the kick when the gun fires…and if you focus more on bracing, that can mess up your aim." Kimi then let out a bit of a sigh. "I guess I just have to get more used to it..."

Kimi was then quiet for a few seconds, her expression drifting into one of reminiscence. "…Just like I had to get used to the dart gun…before Major Mark took me to the firing range all those years ago, I had never touched any kind of gun at all…" She uttered a small giggle. "I almost forgot to keep my eyes open the first time I fired it." She turned to settle onto the hide-a-bed again. "After all this no power stuff is over, it's all about more time on the range…and we'll have e- and v-mail back. I can talk with Major Mark about pointers."

Monique had moved to sit on the other side of the bed, but the opening of the door stopped her. Frannie stepped through the doorway carrying a rather thick manila envelope. She turned to close the door, then turned back to the other two women, holding up the envelope in a presentation pose. "Ta-da," she sang, waggling the envelope a bit.

"Hey, Fra," greeted Kimi. "Too much longer and we were going to be all about search party…crowded at the registrar's office?"

Frannie flipped her long trail of blonde hair back over her shoulder. "That almost describes it," she said, "but 'mobbed' would be closer…maybe 'crazy' would be even closer."

"Lots of people anxious to get home?" Monique asked.

Frannie let out a small "Heh" in response. "Some people were carrying their bags in line. They planned on leaving the second they got their records. The parking lot outside the admin building is all about total zoo."

"How about the rest of us who don't have our own transpo?" asked Kimi. "Did they say anything?"

"I asked one of the admins…they said that things are kind of a mess with this big power outage. Buses are being used to get people to places in the cities to keep cool. They're talking about Wednesday before they can get any buses here."

"I wish we had more advance notice when our records were coming out," said Kimi. "I could have gotten a snail out to the 'rents to come get us." She then glanced a bit wistfully to the small table next to the bed, where her phone sat. "We could be out of here by tomorrow night if my cell was working."

Frannie settled onto the bed on the side opposite Kimi. "Oh well," she sighed. "This gives us more time to pack." She then reached into the envelope, pulling out a sheet of paper. "At least we won't have to pack everything…"

Monique looked at the paper. "Oooh, is that the retention form for the room?"

Frannie shook it slightly to straighten it, then passed it to Monique as she returned to sit on the bed next to her. "Yep," she grinned. "They even said we can keep our keys."

Monique looked over the paper for a second, then refolded it. "Sweet!" she said, rising from the bed to go to the bookcase, pulling a small file box from the bottom shelf and lifting the lid, slipping the form into a folder near the front of the box.

Frannie now pulled three smaller envelopes from the large one, waving them back and forth. "Here we go, guys." She separated them, dropping one into her lap and passing another to Monique. Still holding the remaining envelope, she looked first to Kimi, then to glance over the current layout of the backgammon board. A teasing grin snuck onto her face as she looked back to Kimi out of the corner of her eye. "…If you make a comeback on this game—" she said, tipping the envelope first at the board – then holding it upright, waving it in a teasing manner "—I _may_ let you see your grades."

Monique looked at Frannie for a second – then couldn't help letting a snicker slip out, knowing she had this game well in hand.

Kimi was now also looking at Frannie, an expression similar to hers on her face, but painted with a wide swath of displeasure. "If you let me see my grades," she said in a tone mocking Frannie's ultimatum, "I _may_ let you wake up tomorrow with all that blondage."

Frannie immediately gasped and shook in recoil of Kimi's retort for a split second, as if she had been pinched. Her free hand shot behind her neck, gathering her waist-long spill of brilliant blonde locks and bringing it forward over her shoulder to flop into her lap. She continued to hold it as her arms crossed her chest, as if embracing the hair in a protective hug. "It's all about hands _off_ the Main Mane!" she protested.

Kimi let slip the barest peek of a smile, knowing that, unlike the backgammon match, she held the key to victory in this small game with her friend. She leaned forward a bit, resting her elbows on her knees, her fingers interlocking just below her chin. "Your decision," she said. "Either wake up without my envelope…or wake up looking like the 'Dolly' Llama."

Monique tried to hide her snickers as she made the motion on her hand of writing onto a pad, then tearing off a sheet and motioning it to Frannie. "Bad news, FM," she smirked, shaking her hand slightly as if rustling the imaginary paper. "Blackmailing someone who is concerned about her grades? Doesn't come without a price."

This action coupled with a raised eyebrow of expectancy from Kimi drew a sigh from Frannie. She hesitated for a few seconds – then flipped the envelope into Kimi's lap. She then slid into a doting pose, bringing a thick length of hair to her cheek, nuzzling it. "…Don't threaten the Main Mane," she pouted in a low voice.

Kimi reached for her envelope, slipping a fingernail under the flap. "Speaking of bad news…"

The other two also began to open their envelopes. Monique was the first to unfold the papers inside. She scanned down the list of semester grades, a smile growing as she went through it. "Yeah…yeah…yeah…yeah…awww, yeaahh," she drew out. "All good marks. I think I'll come back next year." This produced giggles from the other two women.

Frannie was next, opening her papers. "Only one mark I'm worried about," she said, looking over the listings. "Prof Gardener said my Graphics Design thesis would be the biggest part of my grade." Her eyes suddenly grew wide. "Ooo…oooh…ooOOH," she chanted with building excitement; she clutched the papers in one hand, her other clasping around it, bringing her fists to her chest. She unfurled the paper, turning it to show. "Shiny diamond, shiny diamond, shiny sparkly diamond," she burst in a wide smile, sweeping the paper slowly back and forth.

Monique leaned to look. "Ooo, score!" she grinned. "You go, FM."

Rufus echoed this, blurting out a tiny "Boo-ya!"

Frannie now shifted the paper for Kimi to view. "Shiny A-Plus," she beamed.

Kimi peered at the paper for a second. "All about no surprise," she grinned. "I knew you were diamond on G.D. ever since that thing back in high school for the Bulls game."

Kimi and Frannie burst into giggles, leaving Monique with a quizzical expression until Frannie explained. "State football championship in our senior year," she grinned. "Major media campaign. My highlight was selling t-shirts with a pic of our opponents' logo on the side of a milk carton."

Monique broke into a sudden titter as she envisioned the image. "Hehe, sweet! Did you win?"

"State champions, baby," replied Frannie, trading a high-five.

Kimi now opened her envelope, sliding the papers from it and unfolding them. The other two looked at her, waiting for a few seconds until Kimi uttered a small sigh. She flipped the papers to show them. "B-Minus," she breathed. "Definitely all about work on the range this summer."

Frannie looked over the listing. "The rest of the marks are diamond, though."

Kimi turned the paper around. "Well…yeah," she said, placing a finger on the paper next to the grade for Law Enforcement Application II and holding it there as she turned it again to show, "but the diamond has a flaw…"

Monique looked up from the paper to Frannie. "And no woman wants a flawed diamond," she added.

Kimi leaned to the table, picking up a pen and paper. She scribbled something on the pad, then handed it to Monique, who read the pad for a second. "That's Zach's cell number," Kimi smirked. "Call him in about two years and tell him what you just said."

It took a second of looking at each other before Monique burst out in a long exhale dotted with laughter, joined by Frannie.

Kimi refolded her papers and slipped them back into the envelope. She looked back to the backgammon board. "Let's mop up your mopping up of me," she said, picking up her cup, "and we can get started on packing."

Monique smiled and nodded as she reached for her dice cup. Frannie rose from the bed, moving to the closet and opening the door. "I'll have a head start," she said as she pulled a suitcase from the floor of the closet. "Neat that we get to keep the room. No lugging around heavy winter coats in this heat."

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

Near Willow Grove, Pennsylvania  
1121 Fairchild Avenue  
Saturday, June 21st  
4:18 AM.  
"Like this," Mark said. "Just a series of small swirls overlapping each other…and the next row overlaps slightly with the last one." He lifted the small round foam applicator from the surface of the car, bringing it to the mouth of a plastic bottle, keeping it against the opening as he tipped the bottle upside-down then upright again, leaving about a quarter-sized dab of thick buff-colored liquid in the center of the applicator. He then turned, handing the bottle to Melfina, then back to the vehicle, touching the applicator to the ebony surface in a series of light pats, dotting a line along the roof. He returned to the front of the panel, beginning a chain of three-inch circles as he had described, spreading the liquid into a thin film coating the black paint.

Melfina studied Mark's motion for a moment, watching the patterns appear behind his applicator; then moved to mimic his actions, holding the applicator against the neck of the bottle as she tipped it nearly upside down and back again, leaving a thick spot of the wax in the center of the foam. She passed the bottle back to Mark, then turned to the car and placed the applicator against the dark paint, cautiously at first, patting a series of spots in a dotted stripe near the edge of the hood.

Mark finished his row at the back of the roof and moved forward to check Melfina's work, which had progressed about halfway down the long black hood. The pattern of swirls she was producing put a smile on his face. "That's great, 'Fina," he said.

Melfina smiled back at her husband as she moved to the back of the hood and held out her hand for the bottle. "It is easier to distribute the wax evenly than I thought it would be," she said, pressing the applicator to the bottle and inverting it. "The liquid is very…smooth." She gave the bottle back to Mark, then started on a second row, the swirls of cream-colored liquid overlapping nearly an inch onto the first. "I remember to only do a portion of each panel at a time…but how long should the wax remain before it must be removed?"

"After you finish a section," said Mark, "it takes about ten minutes for the wax to dry. Then you can buff it out with a towel. But while you're waiting for that, it's good to start on another section…that keeps the process going, and the entire car will be finished in no time."

"You said the auto show will be in two weeks, over the 4th of July holiday…after the waxing is finished, how much more preparation remains?"

Mark continued on a new row of wax. "Not too much," he said. "Just some minor stuff. Polishing the wheels and dressing the tires…some minor polishing in the interior…things like that."

Melfina's face now fell a little. "While I am sure that you are looking forward to the show and that it will be a festive time for all who attend, I fear I may not be able to be by your side during the entire event, as the current temperatures reached during the daylight hours would be difficult to endure…"

A smile again crept onto Mark's expression. "Not to worry," he said. "They're having the show at night, like everything else is now."

Melfina appeared a bit puzzled at this. "But…I thought that part of the aesthetically pleasing aspect of an auto show was to see the vehicles gleaming in the sunlight…"

"It is, actually," said Mark, "but they have that covered, too. They're holding it in one of the big hangars down near the flight line…more than enough room and light…and they'll have big cooling units running in there, to keep everyone comfortable."

A smile began to grow on Melfina's face as she returned to her task. "Impressive…the lengths to which enthusiasts will go to showcase their machines…"

Now Mark grinned in response. "It helps to have the backing of the resources of the United States Air Force," he said.

6:06 AM.  
Melfina slowly kneeled onto a towel placed on the concrete floor of the garage near a rear corner of the car, placing the heel of her hand against the edge of the rear spoiler to steady herself as she descended. In her other hand she held a small towel and a toothbrush. She draped the towel over her knee and positioned the toothbrush, applying it to the small space formed between the lower edge of decklid and the large molded surface of the taillight, brushing back and forth in the space. She stopped for a second and looked up to Mark as he joined her at the rear of the car, holding his own toothbrush and towel. "Nearly done," he said. "You're on the last of it."

Melfina smiled and turned back to the car. "This is an excellent method of cleaning the residue of wax from gaps between body panels," she said. She then looked down to her leg and whisked the toothbrush against a small spot of the wax that had dried on her jeans. "It is even effective against wax left on clothing." She worked a little more on the spot. "It will not remove the stain completely, however."

Mark looked at the spot on Melfina's jeans. "It's jealous," he grinned. Melfina looked up to meet her husband's eyes as he continued, "as beautiful as the wax makes the car look, it could never match your natural shine."

Melfina's cheeks now shone with a bit of a blush as she rose from the floor, slipping her arms around Mark. "One has never to be concerned about a shortage of flatteries in your presence," she cooed, "and how comforting it is that the Firecat has become another grounds for such praise."

Mark withdrew his wife a bit until his gaze met hers. "The Firecat has little, if anything to do with it," he said, bringing two fingers to softly caress her cheek. "You were a part of my life long before this car was…and you will be a part long after it has turned to rust."

While Melfina didn't see his last comment as a revelation, she always welcomed Mark's vocalization of his affection for her. Her eyes began to sparkle slightly as her mouth spread into a warm smile and she moved close into his embrace. "I shall finish the panel," she said, "and then I shall prepare us a meal." She still had the wide smile as she turned to kneel again to the car, picking up her brush and whisking it a bit against the towel to clear it of the wax flakes.

Mark turned for the other side of the car, placing his towel and toothbrush onto the small table that had been moved against the wall. "I'll take that as a hint to counter the A/C a little," he said, reaching to press the switch for the garage door opener.

The light of the new day began to stream into the garage as the door traveled upward. "Ugh," uttered Mark, moving toward the front of the garage. "Another scorcher on the way. It already feels close to 100 out here."

A man in a light blue uniform and darker shorts carrying a large leather pack on a shoulder strap approached over the front yard. "Howdy, Major," he said, offering a pack of mail chips. "I was going to put this in the box, but I see you're out and about."

"Hi Dave," offered Mark, stepping a few feet out onto the driveway to meet the man. "We were just getting the car ready for next month's show," he said, motioning an arm back to the garage.

Dave took another step to get a better look. With a fresh coat of wax over its ebony surface, the Firebird seemed to be sucking the light out of the garage, even bathed in the crisp light of early morning. He let out a low whistle at sight of the vehicle. "Man, that's a beauty," he said. "My uncle in Arkansas would show me pictures of one like that he used to have years back. He lost his license once for street racing." He then let out a chuckle. "He always loved that car, even though he said it could 'get him into more trouble than ten Toyotas'."

Mark laughed, glancing back at the car. "Yeah," he quipped, "and it probably used more gas than ten Toyotas, too." Both men then burst into laughter.

Melfina now joined the two men, slowly wiping her hands on a clean dampened towel. "Hello, Dave," she grinned. "I trust our mail carrier is having some success in dealing with the heat…"

Dave smiled at the smallish brunette's greeting. "Hi there, Melfina," he said, handing her the stack of chips, then bringing a finger to tap against a small silver-and-blue band about an inch wide just above the collar of his shirt which wrapped a bit more than halfway around his neck and ended in an oval bulb at either end. "It's not as bad as you might think," he said. "They gave all the carriers these cooling units to wear. They actually do pretty well."

Melfina handed the stack of mail chips to Mark and went back to wiping her hands. Mark leafed through the chips. "One thing the power outages aren't stopping," he sighed, "…the bills."

"Boy, ain't that the truth," echoed Dave. He made a slight nod toward the garage. "So how far along are you?" he asked. "It looks great as it is now."

"Just some minor polishing," replied Mark, with a tinge of pride to his voice. "I finally got the engine all buttoned up last week…it wasn't as hard to find some of the parts as I thought it would be."

Dave continued to take in the gleaming image of the Firebird. "Say…Major," he said in a low voice, "if you don't, I'll understand, but…it's been such a long time since I've caught a whiff of…well…" he made a slight motion at the car with his hand. "…can you…just for a minute…?"

Mark's smile from before slowly spread a bit more along with his pride. He turned to Melfina. "Hon? You want to? My hands are still a bit messy from the wax…"

Now Melfina's face lit into a warm smile. "Certainly," she beamed, turning to the car and walking along the left side, opening the door and sliding into the seat. There was a faint click as she turned the key – and a thick growl suddenly gripped the air of the garage as the V-8 rumbled to life, slowly settling into a slightly nervous idle.

Dave took in a long deep breath, inhaling what he regarded as automotive ambrosia. "Yeaah," he breathed, "that's the stuff…" He turned to Mark, uncurling a finger toward the vehicle. "Is that the big one?"

Mark replied in an almost bragging tone. "Yep," he said, "LS-1 V-8…350 cubic inches…aluminum block and heads…tuned-port fuel injection…all running through a six-speed tranny and limited-slip rear end."

"That's the same engine setup that was in the Corvette that year," said Dave, with Mark nodding. Dave now motioned to the open door at the back of the garage. "Might want to shut it off," he said. "Don't want to set off the hydrocarbon alarms in the house."

Mark looked back to the car. "Yeah…" He then put a hand beside his mouth. "Shut it off, 'Fina." In response, the car suddenly fell silent. "The hydrocarbon alarms are set a little higher on base, because of all the air traffic," he said, "but yeah, off base, the alarm would already be going crazy."

Dave now turned to Mark, offering his hand for a hearty shake. "Thanks for the treat, Major," he smiled. "It's good to go back once in a while…when cars actually made noise, and power was measured in horses instead of kilowatts."

"Glad you liked it," replied Mark, returning the handshake. "It seems so long ago, even though it's only been about ten years since we all went to fuel cells. The only reason I have gas for this is because they still use it in some military vehicles."

Dave nodded, then adjusted the pack on his shoulder. "Well, better get on with it," he said. "It's not going to get anything but hotter. Say, the auto show is over the weekend of the Fourth?"

"That's right," said Mark. "They're having it in a big hangar because of the heat."

"You'll see me there," Dave said as Melfina joined them. "Bye for now, Major…bye, Melfina. See you Monday."

The two waved as Dave started about halfway down the driveway, then turned toward the next house while reaching into his pack for another stack of mail chips. "Good Day, Dave," Melfina grinned as she placed the keys to the car into Mark's hand, turning to him. "'David' is a name meaning 'friend'."

Mark held up his other hand, filled with mail chips. "…Even when he brings us bills?" he quipped.

Melfina fell into a titter, brushing her hand through her thick black locks. "Yes, even then."

"'David' might mean 'friend'," said Mark, bringing his hand up to point toward the mounting morning sunlight, "but that means, 'let's get inside for the day and have some food'." He turned toward the garage, placing his hand with the mail chips around the waist of his wife as they started toward the door.

"Mark?" asked Melfina, pointing a thumb back to the outside, "Speaking of…'that'…has there been any word from anyone on base with information as to a cause for these abnormal weather conditions, or indication of how much longer they will continue?"

"Well," Mark started as he reached to tap the switch on the wall to lower the garage door, "they can't tell me everything, because of clearance, of course…but they did say that they were having a lot of trouble with their satellites because of fluctuations in the magnetic field around the Earth. They want to look at weather patterns to see if there is anything triggering all this…they're even having trouble communicating with the space stations, both in orbit and on the moon. Maybe they're seeing something from up there, but they haven't been able to get word back to Earth."

Melfina stopped at the doorway, looking to Mark. "Is there…" she started, "could there be a possibility that these events are caused by something…man-made?"

Mark thought for a second. "That might fit, if it were something more regional or localized…but this is going on all over the world. No, 'Fina...this is bigger than anything Man could come up with."

Melfina slowly laid her head against her husband's upper arm. "That is a bit comforting," she said. "The thought that it might be the plot of one of Mankind to visit this much disaster upon the planet—" her gaze now fell away and her head turned slightly downward and to the side, and her voice slid into a softer, more timid tone "—would in itself be to think of a horror of…unconscionable magnitude…"

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

**Wednesday, June 25th, 2025**

Meridian Insurance  
2:49 AM.  
Kim walked through the doorway of the break room carrying two glasses of ice water and continued onto the Processing floor. She looked out over the expanse of cubes as she walked near the wall along the outside of the rows. Desk after desk held a fairly large stack of papers – unprocessed claims.

The department had been in an almost frantic state since the most recent power outage the previous week as people continued to work steadily to catch up production. There had been emergency shifts formulated over the weekend after the return of power on Friday, and most people gladly answered the call to duty after a massive campaign to contact workers with word of the shifts, knowing that their time offered now would lessen the workload at the beginning of the next week as a new wave of claims began to pour in. That flow was also increased over the past couple of weeks with people visiting doctor's offices and emergency rooms with complaints and ailments brought on by the increased heat. As another adjustment to help people deal with the distressing conditions, it was announced that workers would no longer have to bring a change of clothing to work in the office, being allowed to wear running suits, sleeveless shirts and other light fabrics as part of a greatly relaxed dress code.

Over these weekend hours, Rita had approached Kim with an idea of diverting a portion of the Processing floor to work exclusively on sorting and compiling reports from previous dates. Kim readily accepted the concept, appointing a tenth of the 250 workers to focus specifically on this task and moving Rita into the role of an interim Zone Supervisor to oversee the coordination of this team, being that she had the regular duty of formulating the daily reports, and would be a perfect fit to train these people in their new tasks.

Kim continued along the wall, turning in a couple of rows before the front of the room and in a couple of desks, setting down one of the glasses and then sitting into the chair of the cube next to it. The slender brunette at that desk turned with a smile, picking up the glass. "Thank you, Miss Kim," Rita said, pointing to a small dish on top of the short file cabinet between the desks. "They brought some more fruit by while you were gone."

Kim set down her glass and reached to pluck a grape from the dish. "Mmm," she purred, "nothing more refreshing than chilled fresh fruit." She popped the grape into her mouth, patting her fingertips against a napkin, then turning to her computer, tapping her mouse to bring the screen to life.

"Thanks for letting us set this team up, Miss Kim," said Rita. "Things are really flying with this many people doing nothing but back reports."

Kim turned to Rita. "No," she said with a smile. "Thank _you_ for coming to me with the idea of the team, and then stepping up to lead it." Her smile then became slightly sly, as if she were offering a hint. "It's the mark of a good supervisor to think on their feet while under heat."

Rita's eyebrows raised slightly with her smile as she reached for a small chunk of melon. "Thanks," she said, a slight sheepishness to her voice. "I've never trained anyone in anything...or been in charge of anything like this. But it's fun. It's working out pretty good." The sheepishness now translated to her expression. "It...feels a little strange, though...us working together like this. It's almost as if, in a way...you're kind of working for me..."

Kim made a "pshaw" motion with her hand. "That shouldn't feel strange," she said. "It's actually nice. This is exactly what I was doing when I first started at Meridian...and I've always enjoyed the atmosphere here. I don't feel like I'm 'above' anybody by being head of the department. I feel like...like I'm just another Meridian employee...not special." Her grin now became a bit warmer. "You're pretty easy to work for, too." She then motioned to the stack of papers on top of the file cabinet, in a tray marked "Reports". "Where are we at now?"

Rita couldn't help letting her pride sneak onto her face. "I faxed Monday's reports to Los Angeles about two hours ago," she said.

"Super!" perked Kim. "I bet everyone else was pleased to know that their efforts are paying off. What did they do when you told them?"

Rita looked slightly downward. "I...I didn't tell them. I didn't know that I should..."

Kim had a slight surprised expression at this. "Oh," she said. "Well...that's something that should be shared." Her expression lightened once again into a smile. "Another mark of a good supervisor is keeping in close contact with her people—" she moved to nudge Rita's shoulder "—kind of like we are now."

Rita broke into a rather embarrassed smile at this. "So...just...tell them?" she asked cautiously.

"You bet," piped Kim.

Rita's smile continued as she slowly rose from her chair, coaxed further by a nod from Kim. She turned to the rows containing the people of her team. "Attention, Report Resolution Team," she said in a slightly raised voice. "Monday's reports have been faxed to Los Angeles." Another nod of confidence from Kim. "We are now only one day behind in the reports." She punctuated this by raising her hand slightly in a loose fist.

The people assigned to the team responded with applause and some hoots and "Yeah!" surrounded by applause from other workers nearby.

"Thanks, everyone," said Rita. "Let's keep at it. We might even be caught up by tomorrow." Another round of applause as the workers returned to their processing.

Rita slowly returned to her seat, sitting to meet Kim's wide smile. She let out a breath as Kim placed a hand to her shoulder. "Close contact with my people," she said through a slightly sheepish grin.

"And you'll find that it becomes a two-way street," said Kim. "If you communicate openly with your team, they'll return the favor...and that can help you keep closer to what's happening in the team, and what effects that has on production...both bad and good." Rita nodded slowly in response. "If these power outages keep happening," Kim added, "you'll get more practice at this." This produced a slight puzzled expression from Rita until Kim continued, "These people will reassemble as part of the Report Resolution Team after outages...and you'll automatically become their supervisor when we have to go into Catch-Up Mode."

Rita couldn't help but let go an exhale through an amazed smile. She brought a hand to her chest, feeling the quickened beating of her heart. "Ah—" she uttered, her face breaking into a wider smile. "Before this week, I—I never led anybody before...wait, I have to take that back, if you want to count me babysitting my three sisters—" she suddenly turned to Kim, throwing her arms around her "—I'll try not to let you down, Miss Kim..."

Kim returned the hug, patting Rita's back lightly. "No worries," she said. "Trust me, it gets easier. Just keep your focus on communication...that's the main thing." She then slid into a slight smirk. "Just apply some of what you used in babysitting."

Rita uttered a small giggle at this. "...But no spanking, I bet..."

Kim broke into a sudden snicker. "Right," she tittered. "No spanking." The two women now laughed softly.

Kim turned back to her screen for a moment. "Miss Kim?" asked Rita. "...Are you feeling okay?"

Kim turned her head to Rita, a slight puzzled expression on her face. "Sure," she said. "Why would you ask that?"

"I'm sorry...I just wondered," said Rita, her eyes flitting back and forth between her lap and Kim, "when we hugged, it seemed like you were very...warm...like you're running a temperature..."

Kim's face immediately switched to a relieved smile. "Oh!" she perked. "No, I'm fine...it's just that Cellers by nature are...a little warmer."

Now Rita uttered an "Oh" – but hers was accompanied by two blushing cheeks. "I'm sorry...I didn't know. I've never...hugged a Celler before. The only time I've ever felt someone that warm was when they were running a fever."

"It's okay," assured Kim. "It can take a little getting used to, the first time—"

A hand on Kim's shoulder and a voice from behind stopped her. "Are you saying my wife is hot?" quipped William.

Kim turned, looking up to her husband and Marcy just a step behind, holding up a hand in a wave. "Hi there," she smiled.

"Hi Mr. William, Miss Marcy," offered Rita. "I...didn't know about Cellers being...warmer than we are."

A silly dreamy expression floated onto William's face. "It's like hugging a summer breeze," he said, clasping his hands together at his chest.

The four burst into laughter at this. "You nutbar!" Kim giggled.

"Speaking of summer breezes," said Marcy, "Rita, would you step out onto the balcony with us for a few moments?"

Rita's eyes shifted quickly between Marcy and Kim. "Uhh – sure," she uttered.

Kim had a bit of a knowing smile as the two rose to join William and Marcy, the four then proceeding into the hallway and out through double doors onto the large brick balcony on the west side of the building, overlooking almost an acre of grass.

Kim continued across the balcony to the railing, looking out over the large manicured lawn. She placed a hand on the iron railing to lean a bit, but only left her hand against it for a few seconds. "Wow," she said, retracting her hand, turning it palm-up to look at it, then returning it to the black wrought surface, "this is still warm from today."

"Yeah," nodded Marcy. "When I go to the car to leave for work every day, I could almost swear I see steam coming out when I open the door."

"Let's...not spend the rest of the shift out here," said William.

"Right," Marcy said, turning to Rita. "Rita...we wanted to talk with you about your position here at Meridian..."

Rita's brow furrowed immediately at this. "I'm...am I...in trouble...?" she asked rather nervously.

"No!" Kim broke in. "Not at all, honey. I wouldn't offer an interim sup position to someone who was in hot water."

Rita's expression seemed to ease a bit as Marcy continued. "Anything but hot water," she said. "Your work here has been exemplary. That's part of the reason for the interim supervisor position you and Kim talked about earlier. We had a little something to do with setting that up, and based it on Kim's recommendations."

Kim now placed a hand on Rita's shoulder. "This is actually something we were working on putting together before all the craziness started with the heat and the power outages and the switched hours—"

"—And Miss Tina," Rita added softly.

This seemed to let a bit of the air out of Kim's bright mood. "...Yeah," she breathed, her eyes falling slightly. "And Miss Tina..."

William stepped in, reading Kim's expression. He turned to Rita. "What...we were thinking," he started, "was to have you continue working in the interim position during times when things get a bit behind. Then after the power stabilizes...maybe closer to fall...we'd like to get you into a training program...then after about a month, we'd move you to a first-level zone supervisor position out on the Processing floor."

Rita had no immediate reaction to this but to take in a long slow rush of breath. Her breathing became a bit quicker. "This...is this just for when the power's out...?"

"Nope," beamed Kim. "You'll be a full-fledged, full-time Level One ZS."

"And everything that comes with that position," added Marcy. "Your increase in pay would begin from your first day of training."

Rita's next breath stuttered as she huffed out a chuckle. "I...wow. I—I don't know what to say..."

Kim moved to place her arm around Rita's shoulders, her face a wide grin. "Well...'Yes' might be a good start," she said through a slight giggle.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

La Jolla  
June 24th  
11:51 PM  
"Sorry about the walk," said Nathan as they continued down a row of the parking lot, "but this was the closest place I could find to park."

"So it really is because you were late getting in tonight," Jennifer smirked, smoothing a hand over her waist. "I didn't think it was like you to make a thinly-veiled comment about me wanting to shed a couple of pounds..."

"What?" Nathan blurted. "No! Not that...it's just that the grocery store didn't open until 9:30 tonight."

"The one near your apartment? You know, there's a grocery store fairly close to here. Could have saved you a little time..."

"Yeah, I know," Nathan said, "but they don't have the single-serving pan pizzas that I like."

"Pizz—_frozen _pizzas??" stuttered Jennifer. "So _that's_ why there's a refrigerator in our office now."

"Well...not only that...but other frozen stuff...I couldn't dare let it sit in the car until lunchtime...thanks for offering to help bring it in, by the way."

"That's okay,' replied Jennifer with a bit of a smirk. "It'll be worth being out in the heat, once the Bio Lab finds out where the refrigerator for their samples went."

"Oh, that's not the Bio Lab's fridge," Nathan said. "That's a unit that was sitting empty in the basement...maybe a spare or something. I plugged it in one night and let it run, to make sure it isn't leaking, then last night I brought it up in the elevator and wheeled it in."

Jennifer breathed out a snicker. "Somehow I just knew that you would make staying at work into a lucrative venture."

"Not exactly lucrative," said Nathan with a hint of a smile. "I haven't figured out how to get free food and pop from the machines yet." This produced a louder giggle from Jennifer.

The two now approached Nathan's car, a Honda Civic HFC-C. As Nathan brought his keys from his pocket and applied one to the hatch at the rear of the 5-door vehicle, Jennifer brushed a fingertip over a light mist of perspiration that had formed at her temple. "This is the fourth week straight for this heat," she said as Nathan raised the hatch, "and I don't know how much more my family can take. Bobby hasn't played golf in over two weeks...and the kids hardly play anything anymore. They can't play outside in the dark and they don't dare go out to play in the light." She reached into the back of the car for two paper bags. "Sunday night, we tried to sit outside for a while...it was too muggy to even just sit. We were actually only out there for about ten minutes."

Nathan reached for two other bags, and a third containing a couple of magazines. "And to think my mother wanted me to take that soccer scholarship at UCLA ten years ago," he said as he brought a hand to lower the hatch, pushing it closed.

Jennifer joined him as they began the walk back to the lab building. "I asked Ted about getting some climate data," said Nathan. "I want to see if there's a weather trigger to this that's being overlooked."

"Not a bad idea," Jennifer said, "but, as you told me the night you brought in your fish...we can't really have much change or effect on what we observe. Even if you found something...you might feel...a bit helpless, having found it and not being able to do anything about it."

Nathan's walk slowed to a stop, causing Jennifer to stop, turning back to face him. "I'd feel a lot worse," he said, "if there was something to find...and I hadn't even tried."

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

Penn State University  
June 25th  
2:52 AM.  
A slight breeze rustled the trees overhead as the four continued along the lighted walk leading through the campus grounds to the front of the administration building – Frannie leading the way, wearing a light t-shirt and shorts, her hair arranged into a large, loose bun at the back of her head; Monique in much the same type of outfit, her hair pulled back; Kimi waving her bangs from her face with an occasional shake of her head, dressed in shorts and a dark t-shirt with a small silhouette of a swan over the left chest; and a broad-shouldered, well-built young man about six inches taller than Kimi with well-tanned skin taut over his toned muscles. His head was adorned with a long spill of jet-black hair, usually flowing in a chorus of waves and loose curls over his shoulders and back, but tonight was gathered into a rather chaotic ponytail. He was dressed in mid-length jean shorts and a t-shirt which conformed to his physique as if it had been molded to him. The shirt bore a pun on the front, "Alcohol? I'll have Nun, Chuk". Each of them carried a suitcase and a small backpack except for Kimi and the man, who each had an extra bag about four feet long resembling a slender duffel bag, with a carry strap down the side.

The quartet made their way along the side of the two-story administration structure and onto the massive expanse of its front lawn, heading to join a crowd of about 500 people who were gathered there, awaiting transportation from the campus. As they approached the crowd, they stopped at a table set up next to the sidewalk about 25 feet back from the curb of a long drive lined with bright overhead lights. A box mounted on a pole above the table held signs on each side, reading "Information". A woman wearing a visor on her head and carrying a clipboard met them as they neared the table. "Hi," she said. "Where are you headed?"

Nearly in unison, the four answered, "Eastgate."

The woman gave a slight nod and flicked a switch on her visor to turn on a small light on the side of the brim. She brought up her clipboard, looking for a few seconds. "Okay," she said, "the buses should be here any minute. You're going to want Bus Number Eight." She then brought up a hand, motioning across the crowd. "It'll be down toward that end." Frannie turned her head, shading her eyes as she looked toward the far end of the drive.

Kimi smiled at the woman. "Thanks," she said, hefting her hand holding her long bag. She then turned, starting in the direction the woman had indicated. "Let's go wait for a bus, guys." The other three also began walking in that direction.

As they moved across the crowd, they noticed people congregating in groups, also waiting for their transportation. Some were spread onto blankets, relaxing on the relative coolness of the grass; others were in a mix of sitting and lying on the grass, talking and sharing their thoughts about the increased heat, and adjustments they would have to make to their summer plans – or breaking them – because of it.

"Can't wait," the young man in the group grinned as the three pulled abreast of Kimi. "Soon we'll be on an air-conditioned bus cruising through the night...it'll be Nap City for a couple hours until we get home. Then I'll be all charged to unpack."

Kimi's head swiveled suddenly to him. "You...kid? Tell me you kid..._so_ all about kid. You're going to be on a bus with 50 other people happy about getting through finals and getting out of school after a month of Hell-temperatures and living like bats. Laughing...singing...all about not an atmosphere for nappage."

Monique had moved to Kimi's right. She also looked to the man, a rather doubtful expression on her face. "What," she said, "A rolling escape party, and Zach is talking about napping??"

"On the second half of the trip, maybe," added Frannie. "That's when people usually settle down and start watching the miles roll by...sitting quietly..." She reached behind Zach to give Kimi a small push on the shoulder "...cuddling with favs..."

A smile grew across Kimi's face in agreement as she moved to nudge her shoulder against Zach's. "It's all about that's the play," she grinned. "Party now...cuddle later."

"Ki!!"

A voice rang out from across the crowd. The four turned as a girl raced through the crowd from near the drive, waving as she crossed the grass, her short blonde hair fluttering behind her ears as she ran.

Kimi placed her bags on the ground and turned as the girl ran up, her arms outstretched to take her into a hug. "Hey Chris!" she said as they embraced.

"I'm so glad I saw you before you left," said Chris rather excitedly. "I wanted to tell you how killer it was being in Inter-Environmental Studies with you this year. I really learned a lot about Cellers and their world."

"It was pretty diamond," Kimi beamed, "but you have to remember, it's 'environment'. We all live in the same world...just different environments."

Chris uttered a short grunt of frustration as she brought her hand to the side of her forehead. "Environment...right. I didn't say I had it all down yet. In fact, I wouldn't have gotten as good a grade as I did this semester without you and Monique helping me."

Kimi's face shifted to a wide beam. "Always glad to help out."

Now Chris' face slid into a wider grin. "As a matter of fact, it's because of you guys and that class that I quit drinking at parties on the weekends."

Kimi's eyes lit up as she reached to trade a high-five with the young blonde. "Extra diamond!" she exclaimed.

"I'd better be getting back with my group," said Chris. "There's only one bus back to St. Louis, and I don't want to miss it. It's going to take two days—err, nights, but it will be good to be home." She again brought Kimi into a hug. "Thanks for everything," she said, then turned to Monique, embracing her as well. "Both of you. Have as good a summer as you can...hope this heat dies down so we can enjoy it." She then started back toward the group she had come from, exchanging waves. "Bye guys, and thanks again!"

Monique turned to Kimi as she was gathering her luggage. "Neat girl," she said. "I remember how eager you said she was at the start of class this year...and how cool she was when she and I met for the first time."

"Yeah," echoed Kimi as she hefted her cases from the ground. "She had never actually met a Celler before meeting you...but she watched the thing at the Mall years ago on TV. She said it helped to condition her a little bit, and really got her eager to meet one."

Monique nodded in response. "I remember that day...you brought disks of it for the class to watch. I wish I had been there in Eastgate to see it when it happened."

Kimi's face slid into a slightly dreamy smile at recollection of the event. "Even after all these years, it's all about neat to share, and watch peoples' faces as they watch."

The group's attention was taken from the subject as a cheer rose from the far end of the crowd. Headlights swung across the front of the building as the first of a parade of large motor coaches began to pull onto the drive.

"Now that's what I want to share," piped Zach as he began to move toward the crowd. The three women also started in that direction.

Frannie turned to look back toward the campus as they continued walking. "So long, Penn State," she said. "See you in the fall...hope the fall lives up to its name, and brings cooler weather."

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

**Wednesday, June 25th, 2025**

**Midnight, La Jolla, California  
**"I always ask for paper. I never trusted plastic bags...especially with things like pop, or eggs or—"

**3 AM, Eastgate, Pennsylvania  
**"It might come a little easier, after watching Miss Kim all these—"

**3 AM, University Park, Pennsylvania  
**"Yeah, this is Number Eight. Ki and the others have seats near the back. I'm just loading up the bags and then I'm—"

**3 AM, Willow Grove, Pennsylvania  
**"...I could not think of such a heavy lunch. I had Ramen with mixed—"

//

Each of these conversations was slashed into silence by a sudden burst of bright light racing from the horizon and tearing across the sky in a jagged wave, obliterating the dark cloak of night and illuminating the entire view above in a hazed brilliance similar to the grayish-white of a thinly overcast day. The light was solid in its coverage, yet moved in swirling waves across the sky, whirling and roiling without texture or pattern – a living liquid blank canvas of light.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

Penn State  
Zach looked up from the side of the bus as he was loading a suitcase into the luggage compartment, flooded by the light from overhead. "...Whoa..." he breathed as he raised a hand to shield his eyes.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

La Jolla  
Jennifer and Nathan stopped in their tracks as they started up the walk to the lab building, startled as the sudden light washed over them. "What the..." Nathan stuttered, one of his bags slipping from his hand to the ground.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

Eastgate  
Rita jumped with a bit of a start then dipped slightly, throwing her arms over her head as the night around them disappeared. The others brought up their hands to shield their eyes from the sudden brightness.

"Oh, what is _this _now!?" said Marcy.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

Willow Grove  
Melfina dropped the towel she was holding, slowly backing away from the window over the sink as the light broke into the kitchen. "Mark...?" she said into the phone, still moving backward, her voice a mix of the soft drone of trepidatious wonder and an icy shard of fear. "Mark?"

:::I see it, 'Fina::: returned Mark, his tone indicating he, too was witnessing the sudden atmospheric change.

Melfina's eyes were wide with a growing alarm as her hand holding the phone began to shake. "Mark? Mark, what is happening?? This light..."

:::I'm not sure. I'll make a call over to the Weather Center...see if they can tell me anything:::

Melfina continued staring out the window as she now neared the kitchen table, bumping it slightly. "Mark, this light...it almost looks—"

:::Just sit tight...I'll be home in just a bit. Stay inside and stay back from the windows, just to be safe:::

Melfina turned away from the window and toward the table. Her eyes grew wider and she gasped suddenly as she caught sight of the table and the wall it sat against. She brought her free arm up, turning it slowly as she continued staring at the wall. "Mark?" she stammered. "Mark, I—I have no—"

:::Just stay inside...go into the garage if you want to, there are no windows there. I'm gnnng to mzzk m cffplf uf clzz nnd ll—rvv hhvfff—:::

"Mark? Mark!?" Melfina's voice grew with desperation as the fuzz from the earpiece melted Mark's words into a haze of constant static. She turned back to the window, clutching the phone to her chest as she started for the door to the garage, her expression now accented with a tear as the lights in the kitchen began to flicker.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

Penn State  
3:02 AM.  
Heads craned at windows along with students still outside the buses as the sky overhead came alive with light, producing gasps and other expressions of surprise. Zach continued his gaze at the happening, slowly rising to his feet.

A knocking from one of the windows caused Zach to turn around to face the bus, meeting Kimi's face. She swept her hand inward quickly several times, indicating he board the coach. Zach nodded and quickly crouched to load two of their bags still on the ground into the luggage compartment, then rose and turned toward the door at the front of the bus.

Inside, the bus was awash in a buzz of conversation over the sudden change in the sky. "He could have left the bags," Kimi huffed through a breath of exasperation. "I wanted him in here now, out of whatever that is."

"Chill, Ki," said Monique. "He's getting on now."

"What's that light?" another student spoke up. "Did we just flip to the day side??"

"That's not daylight," said a student behind her, looking through the window at the strange occurrence. "Daylight would be brighter, unless it's cloudy. I don't see any clouds."

"I don't even see any sun," said the student next to the young girl who spoke first.

"Well, duh," the one behind her said. "Which way are the shadows going?"

The girl who spoke first turned slightly from the window. "What...shadows..." she said slowly. This caused several of the other students to lean toward the windows again, peering out over the campus and those still not aboard a bus. Some inside the bus waved their arms slowly in front of them over the seats and their clothes in response, noticing much the same eerie effect.

"That's easy then," the one from behind said. "The sun must be directly overhead."

"No," she girl replied. "There's no shadows...anywhere." Several more students moved to the windows upon hearing this.

"What...is going on..." Frannie said quietly, her eyes riveted to the scene outside. "Light...without shadow? It's like...it's coming from all angles."

"It's a good thing we have any kind of light at all," Kimi said, motioning to the light poles lining the drive, which were now flickering and intermittently going off for several seconds. "Power's going out again."

Zach had boarded the bus and was now moving down the aisle, dipping now and again to peer through windows as he passed them. "Everything's loaded," he said as he approached the others, turning to tap Kimi on the leg as he slid into the seat next to her, motioning outside. "Why so frantic?"

Kimi turned from the window. "Because I don't know what that is," she shot back in a quick tone. "With all the crazy things going on the last month with the heat and the power and everything, and all of a sudden it's all about light up like daytime in the middle of the night and I don't know if it's radiation or frying you out there or what—"

"I don't think it's radiation," Zach replied, reaching a hand to gather Kimi's. "Radiation is like, hot...and I didn't feel any hotter out there...and besides," he said, his mouth slipping into a slight grin, "the light's in here, too...so you'd be 'frying' if I was." His expression further widened. "It's nice that you care that much, though."

Now Kimi's face softened into a smile as well, her hand turning to take Zach's. "Well...you're all about know that part already," she said.

"There go the lights," came a voice from near the front of the bus.

Kimi and Zach and the rest returned to the windows. The lights on the overhead poles were dark, as was the indoor lighting that had illuminated several of the windows of the administration building.

"Let the school be dark," another student said. "They've got all summer to work on it...but _we're_ going _HOME!!_"

The student's last shouted word, emphasized with a fist raised into the air, sent the entire bus into loud cheers – save for a couple of students at the very front seat of the bus, who were watching as the driver went through a sequence of flipping a switch on the dash and holding down a large button above it for a few seconds. As the cheering slowly died down, more and more peoples' attention turned to the driver's actions, originally in anticipation of the bus's first motion toward their home – but now shifting toward curious study as they watched him, his time-roughened and mechanic-grizzled hand repeating the procedure; flip the switch, hold down the button. Flip the switch, hold down the button.

As the bus continued to melt into a strange silence, one student leaned forward. "What's up?" he asked the driver.

"Don't know," replied the driver in a somewhat perplexed and resigned tone as he tried the sequence again. "It just quit." He then rose from his seat, moving to the doors. "Be right back," he said.

Students watched as the driver walked toward the rear of the bus. "Now what," said Frannie, "now the bus is out, too??"

"It's probably okay," Monique said as they heard the driver open a panel at the rear of the vehicle. "He's checking something back there. Probably just something minor he has to reset."

Students looking out the windows watched a man from another bus walking past theirs to join their driver at the back of their bus. A moment later they both walked along the bus, the other man standing at the bottom of the stairs while the driver stepped into the vehicle. He returned to his seat, turning a bit to his left to take a walkie-talkie mounted on a clip under the side window. The mass of students on the bus remained rather quiet as he flipped a switch on the device while bringing it near his mouth. "Five-Thirteen, Central," he said, then lifted his finger from the transmit button, listening as the radio returned a soft but nervous static, broken and splashed with short bursts of buzzing. "Five-Thirteen, Central," the driver said again, releasing the button. The walkie-talkie again emitted nothing but static and spotty buzzing.

The driver then turned to the man standing at the stairs, shaking his head slightly. The man responded with a nod, then stepped off the stair and started toward the administration building.

The driver replaced the walkie-talkie on its clip and swiveled in his seat, laying one arm over the back of the seat and swinging his legs to the right, turning his head to face the passengers. "Sorry kids," he said, "but we're going to have to exit the bus. It's not going anywhere tonight."

This was met with a chorus of groans and "Aww, man" from the students. A young man near the front asked, "What happened?"

"I don't know," replied the driver, his expression one that expressed some of the same frustration growing on a few of the student's faces. "The batteries are fully charged, but I'm not getting any power from the fuel cells."

"So we're getting on one of the other buses?"

The driver looked out the windshield, then back to the students. He hesitated for a few seconds, as if deciding if what he found out from the other man should be what he told them. "No," he dodged, "...I don't think any of the others will have the room...they're going to other places, anyway."

"How are we going to get home?" another asked, this echoed by a few in several places throughout the bus. "It didn't sound like your radio is even working."

"You're right, it's out too," said the driver. He then motioned a hand in the direction of the man who had just left. "Maury is going into the building to call our dispatch," he said. "We'll have some other buses here within a couple of hours." His face then, for the first time in several minutes, moved into a grin. "Then you'll really be on your way home." This launched another hearty cheer from the passengers, who were beginning to rise from their seats and make their way to the door. "Don't forget to get your bags from the cargo compartment," he added. "That'll save time when the fresh buses get here."

The students continued to file up the aisle, a few of them starting a low chant as they shuffled to the door – "Our bus...our bus...our bus is broken down..."

Monique stepped off the bus onto the sidewalk of the drive, followed by Frannie, Kimi and Zach. They immediately noticed that things were a bit quieter than moments before, almost as if the strange light that came from overhead had brought on that silence.

Zach brought an arm around Kimi as they exited the bus. "See?" he grinned, bringing his other hand upward to motion into the sky. "No frying."

Kimi responded with a slightly sarcastic grin of her own. "And no shadows."

Frannie stretched out an arm, looking to the concrete under her. "It's almost like being in an office," she said, turning her hand over slowly, "under fluorescent lights...but even in there, there's a _bit _of shadow..."

They turned to their right, moving toward the middle of the bus as one of the other students was unlatching the door to the luggage compartment, low on the side of the coach. Zach moved to help, taking bags from the student and either setting them on the sidewalk or handing them to people as they came forward to identify and claim them.

Frannie looked to the bus behind theirs. There were students also emerging from that bus, filing out onto the sidewalk. "Is that bus not running either?" she asked. "What are the chances of two—"

She was stopped by Kimi's hand on her shoulder. She turned to Kimi – then looked further up the drive, and her eyes widened at what she saw. Each of the seven buses ahead of theirs were engaged in the same procedure as theirs, people coming off the coaches, some from each bus unloading their respective luggage compartments. Frannie brought her open jaw upward. "They...they're all not working..."

Monique snapped her fingers. "I _thought _the driver said 'buses'," she said. "I heard him right."

The man who had gone into the administration building now approached the growing crowd, a few students taking notice of his quickened pace. He approached the bus he had stepped from, moving inside to talk with the driver in a moment of hushed conversation. Now they both came down the steps from the bus.

One of the students asked, "Is the new bus on the way?"

"Not yet," he replied, as the other man began walking toward the people who had been aboard the bus behind theirs. He then turned to more of the crowd. "Listen," he said, "...the phones in the building are out, too." An expression of frustration returned to his face, this time mixed with a wrinkled brow of uncertainty. "Does...anyone have a working cell phone on them so we can try to contact our dispatch?"

This caused a second of surprise and even a small bit of uncertainty to wash over the people standing near the bus – then hands moved in reaction, reaching into pockets or purses to retrieve their devices. Many people around the driver opened their phones, bringing them to their ears – then almost as if orchestrated, those people started turning to the driver and each other, uttering "I don't have a dial tone" or "No service."

"Okay," said the driver, moving in the direction of the crowd outside the bus ahead of theirs. "I'll check some others. Be right back."

Frannie now turned to Monique, standing close. "No buses," she started barely above a whisper, her eyes cast downward, "no power...no phones...and this freaky sky thing with no shadow." She lifted her eyes again. "What is going on...?"

"I don't know," Monique replied, raising her eyes to the silvery atmosphere, "but I know I'm not likin' it..."

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

Eastgate  
One of the double doors to the balcony was opened quickly by a zone supervisor with a desperate look on her face, her arm outstretched, holding the door. She was stopped for a split second as her eyes caught the change of the sky – then returned to the four near the railing. "It's happening again," she said rather breathlessly. "It's bad this time."

Kim and Marcy exchanged a quick look. "Let's get inside," said Kim, starting for the door, followed closely by the three others. As she neared the door, she turned to the woman who had come out. "Are people saving their work and shutting down their stations?"

The woman gave a shudder as if she were shivering, followed by a quick shake of her head. "N-no," she said. "We can't..."

This caused Kim to give a quick look back to Marcy and William, whose expressions echoed her sudden added shard of concern at the woman's statement. It also quickened their pace a little as they moved down the hall to the entrance to the Processing floor. The sounds reached them before they reached the open doors.

Over the vast expanse of the floor, computer screen displays had melted into the fuzzy, hazed snow of static. Terminals were not responding to any keyboard or mouse input from their operators, who were already beginning to show the frustration over the cold-shoulders from their machines.

Kim flashed her head back to the zone supervisor who had called to them as she approached a row of cubicles. "Has anyone called Data Ops to tell them we have no connection to the servers and no way to save work locally?"

A woman seated at one of the cubicles picked up the handset of her phone, holding it in Kim's direction. "Good luck with that," she said. Her point was immediately evident as she held the phone out, the hiss of static on the line coming from the earpiece even heard from a few feet away.

A woman seated next to her held up her small blue cell phone which was emitting much the same hiss. "No cells, either," she said.

Kim quickly turned back to the zone supervisor. "Make sure the other zone sups have their flashlights," she said in a low voice. "We're probably headed for another—"

She swallowed the rest of her sentence as the large room was suddenly engulfed in total darkness. The hiss that was heard just a second before was buried as sound replaced light, an outbreak of shrieks and short screams puncturing the blackness.

Kim's hand flashed to her waist and grabbed her flashlight. Around the room, many people were doing the same, thin beams of light beginning to bathe the room in a weak glow. Kim swung her light around, minding not to shine it directly in anyone's face. She caught William's chest as he was bringing up his own flashlight, which he immediately turned on to Marcy, who had produced her light as well.

"I have a flashlight, but it's in my purse," said Rita.

"Let's find that," said Kim, moving her light to the end of the row of cubicles and walking slowly in that direction, with Rita close behind. They walked along the row, both her and Rita's hand sliding along the top of each cubicle as they passed for stability. _C'mon, emergency lights,_ thought Kim. More beams began to burst forth as people turned on their own flashlights. The scene became a sort of optic chaos with now dozens of dancing beams of light, the numbers growing by the second. _This is where the memo about bringing your own flashlight is going to pay off,_ Kim thought as they turned the corner at the end of the row.

"Everybody listen up," Marcy called out. "Let's start to make our way to the doors and out into the hallway, same as before. Those of you with your own lights, help your zone supervisors to light the way. Keep your lights pointed down low, we don't need to blind anyone."

Kim now returned down the row toward the group, Rita behind her, her flashlight moving in short swaths across the floor ahead of her. William brought up his beam to show that Rita had a coworker in tow who was without her own light. "Still no emergency lighting," Kim remarked.

"The generator is designed to kick in automatically when the power goes out," said Marcy. "maybe they're having to start it manually this time."

"That would fit in with everything else that's been going haywire lately," added William, "why not the generator too?"

"We should be getting ahead of the group," Marcy said, "especially for the trip down the stairs."

"We can bring up the rear," Kim offered.

William turned for he and Kim to exchange a quick kiss. "Meet up with you outside," he said.

Marcy turned again to the assemblage of workers. "Okay, let's head toward the doors...go slow, take your time...those with flashlights, light the way for others. We'll meet you at the doors to the stairway."

Kim now turned to Rita and the coworker she had brought along. "Is there anything you need to get from your desk?"

Rita swung her light to a small purse in her other hand. "I have everything," she said. She then moved the light to her coworker, who brought up her own purse.

"I need to stop by my office for my stuff," Kim said, "and we're good." The three then started cautiously along the wall, stopping at the doorway to Kim's office. She ducked inside for a moment, the beam of her light dancing about her desk; she then emerged to join with Rita and the other woman. "Away we go," Kim chirped with a slight attempt at a lighter tone to her voice. The three then moved in the direction of the doors to the hallway, still at a rather slow pace in the unfamiliar low light of the flashlights. _Emergency lighting would be good anytime now,_ Kim thought as they joined with the rear of the crowd of workers moving toward and through the doorway. _This many people moving down flights of stairs would be much better with the little marker lights next to each step._

They were greeted by an eerie scene as they left the Processing floor and entered the large hall. To Kim it looked like a strange party with no music – any soundtrack that might contain a steady pounding beat replaced this night by the steady buzz of people recounting their actions and thoughts the moment the Processing floor was plunged into its current frightening darkness.

Hundreds of wands of light danced mostly among the floor as the mass of people continued toward the stairs, but some beams were leaping onto the walls and ceiling, some flittering on the metal emergency lighting fixtures, still unlit as the crowd grew with people from upper floors and other departments. It was almost to Kim as if they were wishing to feed some of that energy through the beams to coax the large floodlamps to life. _Too bad they're not like streetlights,_ Kim thought as she watched the play of beams. _Those come on automatically when it starts to get dark._

_...when they have power, that is._

_Go Go Gadget Generator._

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

La Jolla  
12:03 AM.  
"Was it the eggs?"

"Nope...pizzas. They're sturdy. I think you have the eggs, actually."

Jennifer raised one of her bags a bit and turned it slightly, trying to ascertain the shape of the gentle bulges against the side of the paper as Nathan regathered his load. "Let's get inside," he said, moving his eyes to scan part of the sky. "Maybe we can get some preliminary readings on this...maybe someone has something for us on mail or the phone."

They once again started up the walk toward the front door to their facility. Jennifer placed one bag on the walk gently, then straightened, taking a card on a cord around her neck and swiping it through a reader next to the door. Her brow lowered as she got no response from the magnetic lock system. She swiped her card again, then a third time. "Nothing," she sighed.

She glanced to Nathan, who had already placed one of his bags on the walk and was pulling his key ring from his pocket, singling out one with a round barrel and inserting it into a small receptacle next to the reader slot. "If the card reader's out, that probably means we're without power for the moment," he said as he gave the key a turn to the right. A click answered from inside the frame of the door as the mechanical lock retracted.

Jennifer pulled on the handle to open it. "The generators should have kicked in by now," she said, slightly puzzled.

"Even if they did," said Nathan, bending to retrieve his bag, "the building is designed to be 'fail secure'. In a power interruption, all the perimeter maglocks are shut off. The mechanical bolts go into lockdown mode until they're reset. The only way in is with a key." Jennifer held the door open as Nathan entered the now-powerless glassed entryway, lit only by the sky from outside. He gave a bit of a smirk. "It helps to get to know about the place in which you live," he said, "no matter how temporary."

Jennifer shifted one of her bags to under her arm, then reached to a pocket in her mid-length skirt, pulling out a small flashlight and training the beam along the hallway. "I'm glad your new home has UPS backup for the computers," she said.

"Well, I probably won't have net access," said Nathan, "but I can get some instruments outside and take some elementary readings on what's going on up there."

"Might just be something local...lighting up the cloud base?" Jennifer said in a half-asking tone.

Nathan stopped, turning to Jennifer and tipping one of his bags back in the direction of the door. "I saw the leading edge of that when it came over," he said. "It's much higher than clouds...which leads me to believe it's bigger than something local." He then turned back to the hallway. "Let's get this stuff loaded," he said. "The fridge will keep things for a while without power...not sure what to do with the fish, though...I might have to try and keep the water clean manually...maybe adapt one of the UPS units to the filter equipment, once we get the computers shut down..."

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

Penn State  
3:18 AM.  
Zach had gathered their luggage into a sort of row, each case leaning against the next, the long duffel bags leaning on either side. Kimi sank slowly, sitting on the top edge of her suitcase. "Might as well settle in a little," she said, placing an arm over Frannie's shoulders as she sat onto the case next to hers. "Looks like it could be all about a bit of a wait for the next buses."

Monique raised a hand to point up the line of buses. "Here comes our driver," she said. "Maybe he found a phone that works." Frannie turned in response, but instead of looking to where she was pointing, she looked to the ground under Monique's outstretched arm and shaking her head slightly at the lack of shadow there.

The others turned to watch the driver approaching through the crowd of students along the walk. About 30 feet from their bus, he was intercepted by a member of the staff from the administration building who stopped him, and they conversed for a moment. The staff member then turned in the direction of the front of the bus line while the driver started again toward his bus. "Hi again, kids," he greeted, his face still harboring the tint of frustration at lack of control over the immediate situation.

"Any luck on finding a working phone?" asked one of the students.

The driver let out a small sigh and reached to slide a hand over the back of his neck. "Not yet."

Frannie lifted her head to the driver. "There's...no working phones...anywhere around here?"

"That's the bad news," the driver said. "We're—we might be here for a while...until we can reach dispatch for more buses, or get a repair crew here to fix these." He then turned to more of his former passengers as they closed in a bit to listen. "The good news," the driver continued, "is that campus administration is setting up some room inside their building for people to stay, and to store their belongings, in case this drags out for more than a day."

Conversation started among the students as a series of loud groans of disappointment came from a group of students a few buses up the line, after having been relayed the same message about their immediate future.

Frannie suddenly rose from her seat on the suitcases. "What about people who have dorm rooms reserved for next semester?" she asked. "couldn't we stay there instead?"

"Probably best to talk with the staff," the driver said. "I'm hoping that the wait won't be near that long. One of our guys will be going into town to see if they can find a working phone."

At this, Monique and Kimi's heads snapped to each other. "Let's see if Gwen is still here!" blurted Monique.

Kimi leapt from her suitcase seat. "All about on it!" she let out in an excited shriek and tore for the door to the administration building, with Monique following, albeit at a somewhat slower trot.

Zach let out an exhale of a laugh. "Kids..." he muttered.

Frannie gave a quick giggle as she turned to settle onto her suitcase again. "I hope we can go back to the room," she said, "but anything is better than being out here when the sun comes up."

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

Eastgate  
As the last of the crowd filed down the staircase to the First Floor and into the main lobby, Kim was met with a rather welcome sight which brought a slight wave of relief; the large glass atriums at either end of the lobby allowed the entire floor to be awash in the light from the strange phenomenon outside. People were extinguishing their flashlights as they moved out into the lobby, also expressing their relative relief at the increased light, even if unnatural.

As they started toward the South Atrium, Kim caught sight of William standing near the inner doors of the vestibule. _Another good thing about a tall husband,_ Kim chuckled inwardly. _Hard to lose in a crowd._ Nearer to the entrance, Kim also saw Marcy, who was a few feet away, looking through the windows at the brightened sky outside. "Hi guys," Kim said with a wave.

"Hi there," grinned William. "Good to see you made it down the stairs without incident." A puzzled look crossed Kim's face.

"There were a couple of people near the front of the crowd who stumbled in the staircase," Marcy said, looking back from the window. "One got skinned up pretty bad." Kim took in an inhale through her teeth as her mouth screwed into a wince. "Someone is tending to them at the Information Desk," said Marcy. "It's good that there's light to be able to do that."

Rita pointed to the floor behind Marcy. "Did you see this, Miss Kim?" she asked in a soft, rather curious tone. "Miss Marcy doesn't have a shadow anymore." Kim's eyes widened and her brow furrowed slightly as she looked to the floor, noting the lack of shading even though light was bathing all of them from outside.

"Marcy pointed that out when we first came down here," said William, looking up from the floor to his wife.

"I thought it looked almost like the light that comes from a Cross," added Marcy, "like when Ki came through, back at the mall? Except, it's nowhere near that bright—" she looked down over her blue running suit "—and my clothes aren't turning white..."

Kim's eyes shifted to the floor behind her husband, then to Rita. She then held out her arm, looking to the floor where at least some indication of her shape should appear, given that the light was only coming from outside. "Y-yeah," she admitted reluctantly, still with a shred of denial to her tone, "that's...weird..."

Rita now turned to look through the glass of the atrium. "No—" she stammered, "—nobody has any shadow...nothing does." She suddenly turned back to Kim, motioning a finger outside. "Something's happening out there,"

The others turned to the windows looking out over the South entrance, where the workforce had assembled after leaving the building. Throughout the crowd, activity had picked up, with people talking at a rather frantic pace, some thrusting arms into the air, pointing to the same place in the sky.

Marcy quickly turned for the doors "C'mon," she said.

The others followed Marcy through the doors into the heat of the now-bright night. As they stepped out onto the concrete of the entrance, they looked for a second over the crowd, still talking at a heightened pace – then they looked upward to where the crowd was pointing, about a mile to the east—

An airplane.

An X-49 Stratoliner, king of sky and space, able to transport people anywhere on the face of the Earth or into the outer reaches of the atmosphere and even to the Space Station in smooth comfort at speeds up to 16,000 miles per hour—

The proud hypersonic shark airfoil was now falling helplessly out of the sky like a large metal leaf, slave to the forces of the air that tipped the powerless aircraft one way then another as it fluttered in a silent, seemingly slow descent.

Voices continued to spring from the crowd. "He's not pulling up" "Is that out near the airport?" "it's not running...I don't hear any engines" "God help those people..."

"It's...it's coming almost straight down," Rita said slowly, her eyes transfixed on the falling ship.

Marcy reached for Rita's hand, feeling her grip warmly. "_Dios está con ellos,_" she breathed as they watched the craft continue its plummet.

Some voices raised in pitch and pace as the plane neared the ground; others fell silent – yet most eyes remained fixed on the surreal sight.

Rita turned away and thrust herself into Marcy's arms, burying her face against her shoulder. "Nnn-noo-oo..." she drew out, her voice melting into a whimper.

The plane disappeared behind the jutting Eastgate skyline – then a low, deep sickening thud rumbled through the air followed by a large black fireball blooming into the sky from beyond the buildings. Even though it was almost expected from the motion of the airship's fall to earth, the explosion brought a huge gasp from the crowd, mixed with shrieks of horror at the noise and flame.

Rita began to weep deeply in Marcy's arms, heaving against her embrace. "Tha-at plane was fa-ALL-ing like a-STO-nnne," she cried against Marcy's shoulder. "Those people—didn't—have a—ch-ANNce..."

Kim's heart also went out to the victims of the crash as her mind recalled her time aboard one of the supersonic craft years ago. She turned to William, taking his arms into hers. "Over 200 lives..." she said, looking slightly downward, her head in a series of slight shakes as if part of her were denying what she had just witnessed, "just...snuffed out like...like candles—" her mouth soured as her voice trailed off, and her eyes closed as she slowly leaned onto her husband's chest.

Rita now pulled her head back from Marcy, their eyes meeting, Rita's face streaked from her tears running her light shade of mascara. "Miss Marcy?" she sniffled. "Be—be mad if you want...but between another power outage, and the weird things the sky is doing...and after what I just saw...I think I'm going to have to be done being here today..."

Marcy took a glance past Rita for a second at the rising column of thick black smoke from the crash – then looked into Rita's eyes, she herself feeling a bit of the mix of confusion, shock and fear she was sure she was reading in the expression of the slender brunette. "Mad?" she questioned. "After this...I couldn't be mad." A slight conciliatory smile now crossed her face. She moved a thumb to brush a tear from the corner of Rita's eye. "In fact...I'm going to count what you just said as your first executive decision – and it's a good one." She then turned to Kim, saying nothing, but bringing her arm up and turning it to tip her watch forward.

3:31 AM.

Kim didn't even have to read the face of the watch to know what thought Marcy was conveying. Her eyes slightly glassy, she nodded in a quick, slight motion and uttered a single word of response: "Absolutely."

Marcy returned a nod of her own, then turned quickly to look over the crowd of workers, cupping her hands to her mouth. "Everybody listen up! Listen up! It's late in the shift...let's all go home for the day." The workers reacted with a range of welcome agreements from nods to some applause, even some vocalized "thank you"s. Marcy clasped her hands together in front of her. "Okay, same as we've been doing. Call before your shift tomorrow to find out if we have power...but for now, let's head away from here. Being at home has got to be safer than sitting close to the airport in the middle of downt—"

"_Look!!!_"

The voice that cut Marcy short came from near the front of the crowd, and the sharp cry from the young man was emphasized by his arm thrust into the air, his finger pointing skyward – but this time, more near directly overhead. His action was nearly instantly accompanied by an outbreak of screams as people looked upward—

Another plane plunging from the sky.

The screams rose as the rest of the crowd realized the new horror from above. They now scattered, some running toward the parking lot, some even toward the building; but most fled across the grounds to the east or west of the entrance.

Rita once again dove into Marcy's embrace, her cry of fear growing into a scream. "Pull up, pull up, _PULL UUUP!!!_"

As they neared the end of the block that Meridian stood on, some of the workers turned back, looking at the plane as it continued its descent. "Wait, wait!" some yelled. "It's not going to hit us!" "It's going across the street!"

Kim clutched tightly onto William's upper arms, staring in disbelief as the large arrowhead shape passed overhead without a sound other than a deep _whoosh_ from its sleek shape slicing through the air. The plane began to yaw to the left as it passed less than 500 feet over the multi-lane street in front of the insurance building. The leading edge of the left wing burst into flame as it slammed into a financial building across the street at about the 28th floor, carving a deep swath like a huge scythe through the side of the steel structure. The craft immediately careened from the impact, tumbling topside into the face of a shorter building to the south, both it and the plane disappearing into a blossoming storm of smoke and flame, the explosion tearing through the air. Another burst of horrified screams sprang from the crowd now scattered across the Meridian grounds.

Rita's eyes were wide with terror as she pulled back from Marcy. "I wanna go home, I wanna GO HOME!" she screamed.

"Go!" returned Marcy, her own face filled with shock and fear. She turned quickly to the crowd, shouting at the top of her lungs, "Everybody get out! Go now! _Go HOME!!_"

Rita's breaths came short and hard as she took a quick, desperate glance at Marcy, then Kim – and tore away from the entrance, racing down the stairs and over the large concrete area toward the parking lot, digging into her loose sweatpants for her keys as she ran. She was quickly joined by other workers pouring onto the lot, dashing for their vehicles.

Marcy watched the movement for a few seconds – then turned to Kim and William, still arm in arm, who looked back from the exodus on the grounds and the path of fiery destruction across the street. "I think you two should head out, too," she said. "The security staff can secure the building and assist the people who need a ride home. I'm going to try to make a call to Lupe` and see how things are over near the restaurant." She looked at Kim a bit closer. "You...really need to go. You're not looking so hot..."

Kim closed her eyes slightly, bringing up a hand in short swipes in front of her. "Nah," she said. "Just with everything that's happened this morning, it's just...taking a bit to process it all..."

Marcy tried to mask her skepticism as she continued to study the color of Kim's face. "Still...I'd feel better if you went on home. This area is going to get busy with all the fire trucks and rescue equipment...and the less people here when that starts, the better." _And why aren't there any sirens from the first crash,_ she finished in thought.

Kim brought a hand up to slide over the side of her neck. "Are...are you sure you don't need me here?"

"Heck, they don't even need _me_ here, really," said Marcy. "The security staff has been through enough of these outages that they have a routine down pat. They can have this building locked down within about 15 minutes. I'm only going inside to try that call, and then I'm out of here, too. Security can contact me later if the police need to know anything from us." She then moved to give Kim and William each a quick hug. "Go home and be safe. That's what I have planned. I'll swing by the restaurant, and I'll call you when I'm home."

The three then exchanged a quick "goodnight," and Marcy turned to walk back into the building. As she did, Kim turned back to William. His expression slid into one of inquisitiveness mixed with a slight concern as he noticed a bit of the color had left her face. "I didn't want to say anything right away," he said, "but she's right. You look a little....peaked. Do you feel okay?"

Kim's own expression now filtered a bit more toward the truth, her brow furrowing slightly. "I...didn't want to tell Marcy...you know how she worries about things, and right now, she's got enough to worry about...but...I don't know, it's kind of strange, but the last few minutes, I do feel a little...run down. I still think it's from dealing with all this at once..."

"Good enough reason to follow her advice," replied William, reaching into his pocket for his keys. "So let's do that. You'll be better if you lay down for a—"

3:40 AM.  
"Miss Kim?"  
The two were interrupted by Rita, who was approaching the stairs at a quick walk. "I'm glad I caught you before you left."

Kim had a puzzled look, remembering how frantic and insistent on leaving the young brunette seemed just moments ago. "Why Rita? What's up?"

"It's my car," said Rita. "It won't start. The lights work, the windows...everything else, even the radio...even though there's no stations on. But the engine won't even click."

Before Kim and William could do more than exchange a quick look at each other, they noticed another worker coming up the stairs toward the building wearing a slightly sour expression.

Rita's head turned to the man. "...Mike?" she quizzed.

"Hey, Reet," Mike said, his tone suggesting he had put the frustration he was feeling on hold long enough to use the abbreviated moniker of his coworker's name. "I need to see if the Guard Desk has a working phone. My car's out, and so's my cell. I need to call a taxi or something."

Rita's eyes perked in surprise for a second at her coworker's revelation; then her brow returned to its despairing cusp as he reached for the door handle. "...yeah, mine won't go, either," she sighed resignedly.

William motioned a hand toward the parking lot. "Looks like you two might not be alone," he said.

As Kim turned her head toward the lot, her face shifted into a disbelieving stare—

A large and growing number of people were now walking out of the lot and back toward the building, many showing signs of frustration, defeat, annoyance and even some anger.

Kim's gaze slowly slid over the faces of the people as they began to top the stairs. "Is...is no one's vehicle running?" she asked cautiously. The response to her question was a varied range of "No" "Sure isn't" "Nope" and "Nah".

Kim now turned back to her husband. "Can I see the keys for a second?"

William's face slipped into a half-smile. "Hon...if all these other cars aren't starting for whatever reason...I seriously doubt ours will be the exception..."

Kim shifted slightly, canting her hips, her hands lifting to rest on them. "I know that, silly," she smirked, "I just need to get some discs out of the car."

There was a tinge of acquiescence in William's expression as he brought his hand from his pocket and motioned his key ring to Kim.

Kim's mouth moved into a silent smile of thanks as she took the keys. People parted slightly as she started down the stairs. _After over 20 years of marriage,_ she thought as she neared the curb, _there are still times in which Himself tends to doubt my motive behind some little things...like he might even know that I could have another purpose behind my actions. It's nothing major to worry about, baby. There are just some mini discs in the tray on the console, and if the car is going to be sitting, I'd rather not have them baking in the heat of the day._

Some 15 feet from their charcoal Nexus, Kim pressed a button on the key fob to unlock the car. The expected click of the doors unlocking failed to greet her. _Guess I'm doing this the hard way,_ she thought as she twisted her fingers to isolate the key for the door lock. She slid the key into the cylinder and gave it a quick twist to the right, watching the small plastic finger pop up from the top of the door panel.

As she opened the door and slid into the passenger seat, Kim made note of a small wave of relief. _Feels nice to be off my feet,_ she thought. _Maybe nicer than it should. I guess what I told Marcy when she saw my face could be more true than I thought. All this action might have me feeling a bit tired._ She turned and reached into the tray below the climate controls, pulling out four small silvery discs and gathering them into a stack.

Kim stopped a moment in thought, hefting the discs slightly in her hand once – twice – then turned her head to the crowd at the Meridian entrance, making out her husband at the top of the stairs. Her face broke into a slight smirk as she hefted her left hand, this one holding the keys. _Yeah...nothing major to worry about,_ she thought as she shifted her hand to allow the ring to hang by the metallic key card, _but this time, you knew your Kimmie's ulterior curiosity._

Kim turned her hand up to study the thin inch by two-and-a-half inch sliver of aluminum for a few seconds, looking at the pattern of the series of stripes on its face, laser-etched and painted in a dark magnetic ink from the factory. She turned the card vertical, bringing it to a slot on the dash near the steering column, marked "IGN" in rather blockish lettering.

Kim then pressed the leading edge of the card against the rubber-lined slot and slowly inserted it until it touched against the stop inside the slot, immediately noting that the motion was answered neither by the light double-chime telling the driver that the vehicle's circuits were primed nor the soft LED instrument display above the steering column coming to life; the radio at the center of the dash also did not present its bluish array of numbers and bars to indicate volume and frequency. Just to complete her confirmation, she moved a finger about an inch above the card slot to a button crowned with the word "START" and pressed it.

Not a sound came from the car. No faint click from the fuel cell circuit indicating it was now feeding hydrogen to the engine.

The lack of the vehicle's response brought a slight furrowing of Kim's brow as she slowly retreated her finger from the button. _Okay...so our car's dead, too. Duh, Kim...like something that has affected every other car in this lot wouldn't affect ours as well?_ She curled her fingers around the key ring, quickly pulling the card from the slot.

She then turned and pushed the lock finger back into the door panel, then exited the vehicle, pushing the door closed and turning back toward the entrance. _Tired from action,_ she wondered. _Since when does that ever happen?_

As she traversed the lot and neared the crowd, she heard Marcy's voice from near the entrance. "Again, those of you who can find a way to have your vehicles picked up or repaired, please do so, but check with Security before you do. If you choose to leave your vehicle here, it will be watched over by the security staff. Now...those of you wishing to make arrangements, please meet with staff at the Information Desk in the main lobby. The rest of you...we'll be getting in touch in the next day or two, either by email or by phone, telling you what our plans are and when the facility will be open. Thank you all for your understanding and cooperation...and be safe. See you soon."

Kim had a slightly puzzled expression as she made her way to the top of the stairs. "What...what's going on?" she asked.

"Those who live within distance," replied William, "are walking home. They'll see if they can come get their cars later."

"There are maybe 250 people who don't live close enough," added Marcy, "or who don't think they're in good enough shape to walk that far. We're going to set up sleeping arrangements in the lounges and some of the offices on the first floor. There's more than enough food in the cafeteria and the machines in the break rooms to keep everyone fed and comfortable for a while, if we have to."

Kim now turned to William, sliding the key ring into his hand. "Got the discs," she said.

"Good deal," said William. "Did you try the car?"

Kim looked at her husband for a moment. "Why would I do that?" she asked in a slightly silly, patronizing tone. "I just went to get discs out of the car...I mean, c'mon...if no one else's car is working...why would ours be?"

"True," William mused behind a slight smirk, "...but you tried it anyway....right?"

It took Kim a few seconds of staring at her husband before his accusation caught her out. Her eyes immediately darted slightly downward and to the side, and her head turned toward her hand at the side of her neck, as if expressing a wish to hide under her arm. "—Yeah..." she breathed out through a sheepish grin.

William turned immediately to Marcy with a wider smirk, wiggling his eyebrows slightly.

Now Marcy grinned. "O-kay," she sighed. "That's one lunch, on me—" she then swept her gaze over the almost surreal destruction across the street, her brow furrowing "—once things get back to normal, that is..."

Kim turned back to William, swatting the back of her hand against his upper arm. "And on that day, you'll be buying _me _lunch...for trying to profit off your hunches about my true intentions."

Marcy adopted the best grin she could, clasping her hands together and turning to Kim. "You two should get going," she said. "It's best to have most of the people out of the area before fire and rescue start showing up." _And I still don't know why that hasn't happened yet_. _Something this major should have the entire area lousy with police and fire teams by now...and why aren't we at least hearing any sirens from the other crash??_ "I'll be right behind you, just as soon as I know people are being taken care of."

William moved to place an arm over Kim's shoulders. "Ready for a bit of a walk?"

"Yeah...I guess," Kim sighed, diverting her eyes a little. "Then maybe a nap before dinner..."

Marcy leaned to get another look at Kim's face. "I knew it," she said. "You're really not feeling that well...are you..."

Kim was a bit taken aback by Marcy's repeated accusation. _Is it showing that much?_ "Nah, Marc," she protested, "it's...it's everything that's happening—" she swept a hand across the street at the inferno "—with all this tragedy today...and working the flip hours, and all the disruptions with the power outages...it's just...catching up to me a bit." She finished with a smile. "I just need a little recharge and I'll be fine."

Marcy looked at her for a few seconds; then gave in with a gentle nod. "I'll buy that," she said with a smile, yet still with a slight remain of concern. "You know yourself better than anyone would. Go home and rest. I'll leave a message if you're sleeping when I call." The two exchanged a soft hug, then Marcy turned to join the group of people entering the building.

3:48 AM.  
"Miss Kim?"

Kim and William now turned to Rita. "My house is...kind of on the way to yours from here, "she said. "Would it be alright if...if I walked with you?"

Kim's face perked into a bright grin. "Sure!" she piped. "We were just about to leave. C'mon."

With this, the three turned to start down the stairs and toward the sidewalk leading to the west. As they neared the street, each of them turned to look to the south to the still-burning multi-story building the falling plane had slammed into. They noticed a few people near the area, some appearing to be wearing fire suits, others looking like surviving victims of the recent disaster, staggering away from the flaming wreckage. "There should be more fire people," said Rita.

"Maybe even some trucks, or equipment," added Kim. "I don't even hear any sirens coming."

As they continued along the city's namesake thoroughfare, they further noted a lack of expected rescue vehicles racing toward the crash scenes – in fact, there was a total lack of any moving traffic whatsoever. There were a few cars parked along the streets, but they weren't parked in a conventional fashion or in designated spaces. It looked more as if they had ceased to operate while in motion – some cars having been steered to the curbside, others left in the lanes they were traveling as they rolled to a stop, their owners having little choice but to abandon them in place, still and silent on the roadway.

4:41 AM.  
"So...even though there are claims on peoples' computers when the power goes out...they aren't lost?"

"Nope," Kim grinned.

This brought a slight puzzlement to the slender brunette, prompting William to further explain. "When the claims come in from the districts, they're sent as raw encrypted data packs. They're stored by date, and when they're being worked on, the data packs are decrypted and copied onto large temporary drives and sent to the processing terminals on a first-come, first serve basis, unless a particular claim number is called for. That's why bringing up a specific claim can take longer than just taking the next claim the software grabs."

"I guess that's the part that's bugging me," said Rita. "If the data is never really moved to the terminals, but just copied, why is it so important to save those claims to the terminals when the power goes out?"

"It's the coding system of the software," answered Kim. "The second a claim comes up on your screen, the software marks the claim as 'touched'. It keeps that status until the rest of the fields are populated by the processor at that terminal, and then it's moved to another server. If the claim should be moved before all the fields are filled, it's given the status of 'incomplete' and moved to a back server, where it's held until it's called up during times of catch-up, like we've been doing."

"And the less back claims we have, the better," William finished, "as you probably have guessed by now."

Rita's expression now lightened a bit with gaining a some insight of the knowledge behind her work.

Further down the street, Kim and William began to sport slight smiles as the trio neared a row of single-story brick dwellings, stopping with Rita in front of one. "Well, here I am," she said, extending her arm toward the smallish apartment. "2223 Eastgate Drive...not as big as a full house, but it's home."

"Ohh, I don't know," grinned William. "There's a lot of space in the kitchen to hold quite a bit of stuff..."

"And that little half-wall nook between the kitchen and the living room is a cozy place for writing, or even a few games of backgammon," added Kim.

The slight inquisitive confusion crept back onto Rita's face. "You...you guys have seen the inside of one of these places...?"

"Quite a bit," smiled Kim, slipping an arm around William's waist. She then turned to motion her other hand just past him down the street. "Three spots down," she said, "2215...that's where William was living when we first met...he was a little bit younger than you are now...and we lived there together for nearly a year, until just a few months before Kimi was born."

"In fact," said William, "the reason we moved is that we thought an apartment might be a bit small for a family...otherwise, these places are just right for one, or two."

"We still go to the grocer on the corner for most of our food," Kim added, now bringing up her free hand to William's forearm. "They always have very fresh produce, and some of the best fish I've ever tasted."

Rita slowly grew a smile as Kim and William gave a short view into their early relationship and offered a small bit of common ground the three shared. She now motioned a thumb over her shoulder toward her apartment. "Well, I should probably get in and see how much of my stuff isn't working," she quipped.

"We've got a generator at the house," said William, "but with all these outages, we've picked up a few things that run on batteries...lights, radio...we save wear and tear on the generator that way, and use it only—"

William was stopped mid-sentence by a insistent, less-than-gentle squeeze on his forearm. "W-we should let Rita get inside out of the heat, Honey," Kim said through a smile her husband immediately recognized as artificial, "and so should we..."

William took the extra fraction of a second before answering, reading the plea now evident to him in Kim's eyes and touch. "Yeah," he replied, moving his eyes and a slight grin to Rita.

"At least the walk isn't in total darkness," offered Rita, offering a hand toward the sky, her eyes following for a moment, then sliding down to the sidewalk, "...not even a shadow."

"I'll see if I can reach you by phone in a day or two," said Kim, "if Marcy doesn't do it first...and find out when we can get back to work."

This brought a wide smile to Rita's face. "After what you and Miss Marcy told me tonight, I'm looking even more forward to getting back to work."

Kim still had the same smile on her face as she brought up her hand in a short wave, immediately returning it to William's forearm. "Congrats," she said. "Talk to you soon."

As the tall brunette turned to unlock her front door, Kim and William returned to the walk home at a somewhat slower pace than before. After just a few steps down the street, it became very apparent to William that he was now not so much walking with his wife as helping her along.

After what William thought had taken much more time than it should have, they reached the corner grocer, where they stopped at her request to sit on a bus bench in front of the store. "There's a doctor living in the house behind Tina's," he said. "After we get home, I'm walking over there to see if I can get him to come take a look at you."

"Oh-no-you're-_not!_" Kim sniped back. "I just need to get in the house, out of—" she made a short swipe toward the sky "—whatever this is...then lie down for a while. That's all. I'll be fine."

Now William turned his eyes upward to the still-brightened atmosphere. "You think it's...this light that's affecting you like this...?"

Kim slowly moved her eyes from her husband to the curb in front of them. "I...I think it might be other things, too," she started, "but...I wasn't feeling like this before that flash came over while we were out on the balcony with Marcy and Rita." She now raised her head, bringing her hand again toward the sky. "...This, and the plane crashes, and the blackouts...all the disaster, here and all over the world...this unstoppable heat wave...and Tina's death a couple of weeks ago because of it..." Kim's voice now softened as her head slowly returned toward the curb. "...it's all just...so overwhelming..." she finished with her head sinking onto her hand, her fingertips lightly sliding along her forehead.

William moved to take Kim's free hand into his own, his other arm sliding over her shoulders. "And everything else that's been happening has been during a very sensitive and vulnerable time for you...trust me, I know...I remember going through it when I lost my parents to that snowstorm. I know how hard it can be to lose someone close to you." He gave Kim a gentle squeeze of confidence. "Maybe...maybe you should have taken more than a week off from work. In the face of everything else that's going on right now, maybe you're...taking too much on...too soon..."

Kim responded to this with a warm squeeze of her own against William's hand and a slight movement to lean against his chest. "They need me at work," she said. "It's not like me just to...sit around...you know that...and Tina knew that. She would understand, and would probably even have wanted it this way." She turned her head to William with a slight attempt at a smile. "Maybe I'm just starting to get old," she finished softly.

William knew the last of Kim's statement was a play against the drama now raining down around them. "Even if that were true," he replied with a slight smirk, "a rest will have you feeling younger again."

Kim's smile became warmer. "...Walk an old woman home...?"

William's response was to rise from the bench, offering his hand as he stood. Kim reached for that hand and slowly stood to join him, the exertion in her grip and pull as she rose telling William that, if the strange incident aloft were indeed the culprit, it was steadily working to make movement more and more of a chore for Kim.

As they rounded the corner, William made a motion toward the grocery store. "You know, as long as we're here, we could pick up some vitamins...maybe some mild farina..."

"No," Kim replied, "we still have some oatmeal at—hey hey!" her expression immediately snapped to one of realization of her husband's note of levity, swiping her hand against his chest which was moving from his chuckle. "No fair picking on the old woman," she added with a smirk.

They resumed their walk toward their home, north through Brookings Market Square. Though the collection of shoppes, taverns and other meeting places had shifted with the rest of the city to the nocturnal opposite-hours schedule as a result of the heat wave, those places were now collectively closed and the cobblestone streets of the Square were largely deserted, either in reaction to the sudden atmospheric occurrence or the more recent horror from the skies a few blocks to the west.

There was little more than short spurts of small talk as they wound their way through the Square and into the neighborhoods north of there, beginning up the long gentle slope toward the neighborhood surrounding Mason Park. The sporadic conversation was mainly an attempt to focus away from the surreal events of this day, even though the topic touched on them a time or two. While William's inner thoughts were centered around how the overhead spread of uncommon light could sap his wife's strength and to what extent or any lasting or permanent effects it might have, Kim's thoughts attempted to gravitate in any other direction.

_What a marvelous man I'm married to,_ she thought, adjusting her arm around his waist for more secure support as they started up the four-block incline to their street. _He's concerned without nagging...he's caring without being smothering...strong without being over-assertive. I've said it before, and no matter how many more times I say it, it'll still be true...Himself couldn't be more perfect if I had made him from my own dreams._

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

5:27 AM.  
5118 Mason Parkview Drive  
A click of the deadbolt, a twist of the knob below, and the front door sprang open a couple of inches, pushed by Kim's fingertips. The door was then opened the rest of the way by the tip of William's foot, his arms presently full of wife.

Kim brought her hand back to rest on her midsection as William stepped through the doorway. "This is nice," she purred meekly. "It's not every day that a woman is carried over the threshold by her husband..."

William turned, placing his foot to the door to nudge it, then moving his back against the door to close it. "It's also not every day that a husband has to carry his wife over the threshold because she's too weak to make it the last few steps into their house," he said.

"I'm sorry," Kim apologized softly as they moved further into the living room, "but that light, and everything else is just...taking it out of me the last couple hours. But I'm inside now...and after a nap, I promise...I'll be good as new." Kim now adjusted slightly to look toward the front wall of the room. "Might need to close the drapes in some of the rooms," she added. "There's...still a lot of light coming in..."

William gently lowered Kim onto the couch. "Let me lock the door," he said, motioning a hand to the two windows on the front wall, "and I'll start with these. Then I'll carry you to bed."

As William walked to lock the front door, Kim turned to reach to the top of the couch for a small pillow cushion, sliding it onto one of the arms. "It's okay," she said as William moved to unhook the catches on either side of one of the windows, letting the drapes unfurl together to obscure the light through the shades. "I don't need bed," said Kim, reclining onto the couch and adjusting the cushion now under her head. "This is fine..."

William turned after closing the second set of drapes and returned to the couch, sinking to one knee in front of it and bringing a hand lightly onto Kim's forehead, checking for any temperature. "Do you want any kind of cover?" he asked.

Kim shook her head slowly and brought her hand slightly up from her midsection. "No," she said in a bit of a fatigued, breathy moan. "Without power, there'll be no A/C...it's going to warm up in here after while..."

"...and you're sure you don't want me to try to get the doctor here? It's not far at all, I could be back within about—"

"Williammm..." Kim drew out, "please...just a nap. Just a couple hours rest, and you'll see...I'll be back on top again...and I'll fix something for dinner that'll be worth the wait..."

As she talked, Kim's voice trailed to just above a whisper, and her eyes slowly narrowed to sleepy slits, closing as she finished. William moved his hand to hers, lightly patting it twice and resting it there for a moment. _She's just exhausted,_ he thought. _Only about two hours in that light...didn't seem to be affecting anyone else. I wonder if Marcy was onto something when she said it's like the light from a Cross. I didn't think that light usually affected Cellers to this extent. If it is light from the Resonance Conduit, it still wouldn't explain why Kim would be weakened from it...and it doesn't do a thing to explain why it's out in the open, and covering the entire sky._ "Okay, Hon," he said softly. "Rest for now...we'll eat later, okay? ...Kim?"

_Already fast asleep. She must be just drained._

William slipped his hand gently from hers and rose to stand. _I hope the rest does help,_ he thought. _We don't need a fancy dinner. Sandwiches would be alright. I'll make them, if Kim's not up to it._

_Then I'm going to go get that doctor over here._

William took another look back to his wife as he started down the hall and into his office. He reached to the wall switch to turn on the light. Nothing but a click. _Guess the generator isn't on auto-start,_ he thought. _We should leave it on ready with all the outages lately._ He moved slowly to his desk in the semi-darkened room, sliding into his chair and reaching to turn on a battery-powered desk lamp he had been using during previous power blackouts.

William then turned to the left of the desk, turning on a small radio. _Wonder if things are this bad in other places,_ he thought as he began to slide the dial to a local news-talk station. It didn't take long for him to discover that, no matter where he placed the indicator on the tuning scale, the response was the same gentle, empty hiss of static from the small speaker. _I'm not even getting the fuzz from the fringe of a station. No phones...no cars...no radio...and no power...that light must be interfering with radio waves and other communication._

William switched the radio off and reached back to his right to a stack of papers. _Going through the maze of last month's production reports should eat up a couple hours,_ he thought as he placed the stack in front of him on the desk and peeled back the top page.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

Kim awoke to a dark house. She was slightly disoriented as she moved her legs to the floor and slid to a sitting position, turning to look at the window, which was now a black contrast to the light that flooded it before. _How long did I sleep??_ she wondered, bringing a hand to her forehead and sweeping her hair from her face. _I told William I'd just nap a couple of hours...now it's night!? At least that light is gone. If it's evening, it's not like me to sleep that long. I guess I was even more tired than I thought, if I slept through the whole day. I hope he's not—nah, he won't be mad. He'll be more concerned than anything. I don' t remember waking up during all this time...but if I did, I hope he was in the room...and I hope he knows that I really am okay...I just needed a whole lot more sleep than I thought._

Kim rose to her feet and slowly padded down the hall. "...William?" she called softly toward the bedroom. _Not a peep._ "William?" she said again as she neared the partly-open bedroom door. _I know Himself wouldn't starve,_ she thought, _but I hope he used that cooking prowess of his to at least try to fix something good. He never eats well when he's got his worry on...especially when he's worrying about some of the crazy things that always seem to involve the Celler in his life._

Kim cautiously entered the bedroom, only opening the door a little farther to slip in. "...Honey?" she whispered to the sleeping shape under the sheet. _Calm sleep,_ she thought. _Probably tried at least a couple times to wake me...then just gave up and let me sleep. Can't blame him...I told him only a couple of hours at most...I had no idea that light was taking that much of my energy. How long did I sleep?_

She made her way to the nightstand in the near darkness, making out the faint shape of the battery-powered alarm clock. She brought it from the nightstand and pressed a button at the top to light up the face—

11:22.

Kim slowly lowered the clock, releasing the button. _18 hours?? Yikes. Talk about mini-coma. I don't remember if I did, but I hope I woke up long enough to tell him I'm alright—_

Her thought was broken by a sound from outside, brushing against the house.

_...Is that...wind...?_

Kim quietly placed the clock back onto the nightstand and left the bedroom, going into the living room and to the front door. Pulling the door open confirmed Kim's thought – it indeed was the wind, the trees of the neighborhood now alive with motion, weaving and rustling.

The sky above was a vast change from the last time Kim saw it, the bright display from before changed now to a deep azure more like that of a summer's late dusk. _Still light in the middle of the night,_ thought Kim. _Has to be left over from earlier. There's never this much light at 11 O'Clock at night._

As Kim looked out over the windy scene, she caught sight of a couple of her neighbors standing out in their driveway. _Not much light anymore,_ she thought as she pushed the outside door open, keeping hold of the latch as the sudden blast of wind threatened to whip it from her grasp. _It can't be as bad as before. If I start to get weak, I'll just get back inside._ She ventured out onto the stoop, reaching to gather her hair as it began to thrash about from a strong gust. She pushed the outside door closed and continued out onto the driveway toward the young couple. "John...Carrie...!" she called above the wind.

The two turned from looking into the sky. "Hi Kim!" replied the young blonde, one arm wrapped around that of her husband. "Where's William?"

"He's sleeping," said Kim.

"I'm glad you two are home and safe," Carrie said. "I heard that one of the planes that crashed was really close to where you work."

"Right across the street from it," Kim said, shaking her head as she remembered the carnage. "It was just horrible."

Carrie now turned a glance to her husband. "John's garage is close to the airport," she said. "He was closing up after the power went off when the first plane came down...it was only a few blocks from there. He had to walk all the way from there because none of the cars were working."

"Yeah," said Kim, "ours is still at work, too. It's not that far of a walk from there, though." She then took a short glance toward the part of the sky where the young couple was looking when she came from the house. "What were you watching when I came out?"

"Same thing we've been watching off and on the last few hours," said John, looking again over the tops of the trees at the end of the street to the eastern sky. "...waiting for the sunrise."

"S—sun-_rise?_" Kim stammered, also looking toward that direction. "Isn't this leftovers from that...light thingy earlier?"

John now looked back from the sky to Kim. "You mean that freaky light show yesterday? That actually finally died down last evening."

Kim suddenly felt as if her internal train of logic were slipping from its tracks. _Yesterday???_

"See, this is why I'm glad you have a calendar watch," Carrie said to her husband, taking his left hand into her own and bringing it up toward Kim, tilting his timepiece toward her. "Gene at work isn't the only one who's having problems with the crazy reverse work hours." She reached with a finger from her other hand to press a button on the rim of the watch, illuminating the face. The time was in line with Kim's recent thoughts upon waking; 11:27.

What was stabbing a rapier of shock through them was the date the watch displayed—

"Thu 26"

_It's Thursday morning??_ Kim's mind screamed. _I'VE BEEN SLEEPING FOR OVER THIRTY HOURS!!??_

"We actually didn't notice until about 7 this morning," said Carrie, "and it wasn't getting any lighter outs—Kim? Kim?"

"I'm—I'm sorry," Kim called over her shoulder as she ran back to the house. "I'll be back."

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

11:28 AM.  
Kim burst into the bedroom, racing to the bed. "William!" she said through frantic breaths, pressing her hands against his shoulders. "William, please get up!"

William awoke with a start at the sudden sound and motion, his eyes instantly focusing on his wife. "...Kim! I tried waking you a couple of times yesterday. You said you were okay, and just wanted to sleep..."

"I am okay," she reiterated quickly, "but—but now—you _have_ to come outside. It's almost Noon, and the—the sun hasn't come up. I—" she was halted for a second by her mind fighting in denial of her next words "—I think the...earth has stopped turning...or something." She tugged slightly at his shirt. "Please...come out and look. John and Carrie are out there, too."

William rose to a sitting position, swinging his legs from the bed and rising to stand. They moved together, sliding an arm around each other as they entered the living room and went through the foyer to the still-open front door. "Whoa..." William uttered as the wind once again attempted to wrench the outside door from Kim's hand. They emerged into the gusts to meet with their neighbors, still standing in the space between their driveways, still staring at the empty promise of the slightly lightened sky to the east.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

11:30 AM.  
_-flit-flit-flit-_

Inside the house.

_-flit-flit-flit-_

Inside the bedroom.

_-flit-flit-flit-_

Inside the nightstand next to Kim's side of the bed.

_-flit-flit-flit-_

The small blue communications device again uttered three tiny blips, a weak electronic cry for attention in the now-empty bedroom.

_-flit-flit-flit-_

_-flit-flit-flit-_

The device sounded twice more – then retreated back into silence.

to be continued...


	5. Societas Interruptus

**5. Societas Interruptus**

Thursday, June 26th, 2025  
12:02 PM.  
Kim gave her head a quick shake and brought up a hand, combing her fingers roughly through her hair in an attempt to make some sense of her wind-ravaged locks as they re-entered the darkened house. "I never would have thought anything like this could happen," she said. "Did the Sun come up yesterday?"

"Yeah," said William. "It was a bit hard to see the Sun through that light...but other than that, everything was pretty much the same as the day before." He securely pulled the outside door closed and hooked the latch, then ran a hand through his own hair as he closed and locked the inside door. "I might not have believed that watch if it was anyone else," he said, "but with John being a mechanic and Carrie working at the jewelry shoppe in the Market Square, nothing in their house has a chance of being broken down for long."

Kim walked over to the couch, sitting and leaning to turn on the light on the end table. "What, is this out too?" she said, turning the switch several times. "Isn't the generator on?"

"It is," replied William, "but for some reason, none of the electrical appliances are working. Trust me, I've tried nearly everything in the house. None of the lights or any of the things in the kitchen are working..." He moved to the other end table and picked up a small battery-powered lamp, flipping the switch to turn it on. "I've been carrying one of these from room to room to do stuff...but other than that, the house is pretty much shut down."

William then turned to sit on the couch next to Kim, setting the lamp on the coffee table and sitting back, placing a hand on Kim's knee, joined by one of her hands. "Right now, it seems like the only thing the generator is really good for is keeping the rechargeable batteries powered up. I have every one in the house on the built-in charger, if they're not in something."

"Maybe we should have John come over and check the connections. If it's not powering stuff, there may be something wrong with it."

"I've already thought of that," said William. "I had him come over and check it yesterday afternoon. He said his house is the same way. None of the electric devices are working, even with the generator running. He showed me how to put ours into 'reprocess' mode, in case the outage lasts longer than a week." This produced a slight puzzled look on Kim's face. "The generator uses a portion of its own energy to keep its power cells juiced...even if we were able to use electricity, it wouldn't be very much. The reprocess mode takes quite a bit of its own power, but John said in this mode, the generator could keep running for the better part of a year. That's until the cells themselves burn out and would have to be replaced."

Kim's face soured a bit at the last of this. "Good idea," she said, "but let's hope this mess doesn't last that long." She then turned to William. "Have you heard from anyone at all since we left work?"

William slowly shook his head. "Not a peep," he said. "Phones must still be out...even cells. I tried a few times yesterday, but all I heard was this...dead hiss...not even the regular noise of a bad signal...just...hiss."

Kim sat for a moment – then her face suddenly brightened into a grin. "Wade!" she blurted, sitting up to rise from the couch. "If anyone would know what all this craziness is—"

She was stopped by William's hand on her forearm. "I even thought of that," he said. "The Kimmunicator is doing the same thing...even the radio...nothing but static..."

Kim slowly sank back onto the couch as William spoke. Her head slowly lowered until her gaze centered on the lamp on the coffee table, almost as if it were a remaining beacon of normalcy. "...Are you hungry?" she finally uttered in a low voice, showing a slight resignation on her brow.

"Yeah..." said William, "a little."

Kim brought up a finger, lightly rubbing one of her eyelids. "It's strange," she said. "...I've been asleep for more than an entire day. I feel like...I should be more hungry than I am."

"I made some sandwiches yesterday. They're wrapped in the fridge...I only had half of one, though."

"I know," Kim replied. This caused William to raise an eyebrow. "You never eat much when you're worried about something," she added with the barest hint of a knowing smirk.

Kim then let out a giggle as William reached his arm around her head, rubbing her hair with the heel of his hand. "Guess knowing things like that is one of the perks of 22 years of marriage," he said with a chuckle.

Kim turned to her husband, bringing her hands down onto his forearm. "I have a better idea than the sandwiches," she said. "There's about a half a head of lettuce in the fridge. Without power, it won't last but a couple of days at best...and if this outage lasts longer than that, it might be the last lettuce we have for a while. Why don't we have salads, and we can save the sandwiches for later?"

"That could work," said William. "I can make them, if you're not up to it...how are you feeling, after your...little nap?"

Kim slid her fingers through the parted side of her hair. "Kind of tired," she said. "Well, not...tired, really. It's more like the leftover tired after you've been asleep for a really long time...even if it's not for 30 hours straight..."

William studied Kim's eyes for a second. "You're sure it's not...leftovers...from that light yesterday? That finally went away last evening sometime..."

"That's what John said when I first went out. No...I don't feel that anymore."

"So it's really just leftover tired?"

"It's really just leftover tired."

William's face slowly grew into a smile, convinced now that his wife was no longer suffering effects from yesterday's atmospheric phenomena. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Then you take it easy," he said, rising to his feet. "I can make the salads."

Kim intercepted William's hand as he withdrew it, bringing the back of his hand to her lips for a light kiss. "Nothing fancy," she smiled. "Just the lettuce...some croûtons, bacon bits....and the dressing."

William nodded and started for the kitchen. "Back in a few."

_Yep,_ Kim thought as she heard her husband opening a cupboard to bring down a couple of bowls. C_ouldn't be more perfect if I had made him from my own dreams._ She rose from the couch, crossing the living room to one of the front windows, pulling the drape aside to locate the handle for the blinds, rotating it to adjust the slats open. She peered outside to the stilled pre-dawn sky. _This has got to be something really serious, if it stopped the rotation of the whole planet._

She spent another moment looking outside – then turned suddenly, walking to the table to pick up the small lamp, then went into the hallway and into William's office.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

12:29 PM.  
"Ready?" William said as he slid a fork into each of the bowls and picked them up from the counter, turning to cross the kitchen. "Some of the outer leaves of the lettuce were a bit...wiltish. This is from nearer to the—"

He was stopped just before the doorway by Kim moving quickly from the hallway and into the kitchen. "Honey, do we still have that spool of wire in the drawer?"

William turned his head to follow his wife. "I...think so. Why? What's up?"

Kim pulled open a drawer at the end of the counter and fished through it for a few seconds. She suddenly stabbed her hand into the drawer, near the rear. "Yeah," she breathed quickly, pulling out a small roll of wire. She reached again into the drawer for a hobby knife, then pushed the drawer closed, walking across the room to her husband and glancing to the bowls he was holding. "Ooo, those look good," she smiled, continuing back into the hall. "Bring them into the office."

William also moved into the hallway, following Kim as she turned through the office doorway. "I might have found a station on the radio," she said, "but the signal isn't very strong."

As William neared the doorway, he could hear static from the radio on his desk – a static perforated with fuzzy buzzes and blips that indicated speech, sounding like just the outer fringe of a station's signal.

He entered the office to find Kim had placed a small two-step ladder usually used when changing light bulbs under the window and was standing on the upper step, wire in one hand, knife in the other. William placed the salads on the desk and moved behind and slightly to one side of Kim. "Anything I can do to help?" he asked.

Kim turned her head back to William. "Yes," she smiled. "Move the radio over to this side of the desk and extend the antenna as far as it will go." William obliged by scooting the small portable along the desk to the right side and pulled the antenna upward to its stop, angling it toward Kim. As he looked up from the desk, he was presented with a hand. "Hold this?" Kim said, offering the wire spool, which he took into his hand.

Kim pinched the end of the wire and pulled, causing the small spool to turn in William's palm as she brought the wire up to her. She then applied the razor edge of the hobby knife to the insulation of the wire about two inches from the end, pressing slightly. She turned the knife in her hand, presenting the handle down to her husband. "Here?"

William took the knife, setting it on the desk as Kim put the wire between her teeth, pulling the insulation from the end of the wire. "This metal should boost the signal," she said around the empty insulation still held between her teeth as she reached to push a finger to either side of the metal framework of the ceiling tiles, slipping the wire over it with her other hand and then curling it around the thin metal rail. She let the tiles settle back into their channels as she twisted the exposed length of the wire around the rail, giving it a slight tug.

Kim then hopped down from the ladder and moved to the desk, removing the length of insulation from her mouth, setting it on the desk, then giving William a small peck on the cheek as she took the wire spool, holding the wire and pulling the spool down until it was a few inches lower than the tip of the antenna. She worked quickly as she pinched the wire double between her thumb and forefinger, then transferred the spool to that same hand and reached to the desk for the hobby knife to cut the wire. She casually dropped the spool to the table and exposed a length of the wire as she had the other end, tying that around the tip of the antenna, just below the small knob at the end.

The instant she did, the fuzz on the radio all but disappeared, leaving a faint, raspy voice. Kim immediately reached to adjust the dial, trying to clear the signal, then brought up the volume a bit. The tone of the voice coming through the speaker was that of a rather young man, a bit soft with some hesitation, as if he was inexperienced and unaccustomed to broadcasting.

:::—coverage will continue to expand...as microwave repeater stations are brought back online with generator power...and adjust their signals to receive this broadcast.:::

There was a break in the talk as the radio emitted three tones of about two seconds in length, then a long higher-pitched tone which caused Kim and William to look at each other. "That's...those are the emergency broadcast tones," Kim stammered. The tone continued for a moment until the voice resumed.

:::The tones you have just heard are required by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to be transmitted every 30 minutes to indicate an ongoing emergency condition. The....the time is at the...bottom of the hour. The local time here is 12:30 PM, in the Eastern time zone...the day is Thursday, June the 26th. For those of you who are receiving this broadcast, this signal is originating...from AM station WNBC in downtown New York City in the United States...in the Western Hemisphere, broadcasting on AM reserved emergency frequency 620. There will be no translated broadcast for those in foreign countries who are receiving this signal...that will be up to your respective local and state government agencies to...to handle translation into your local languages.:::

"Guess it's more than a local thing," said William. "Sounds like this is going out worldwide."

:::We are receiving very little news at this time::: the announcer continued, :::...they are coming in by...various sources...from hand-delivery courier...battery-operated short-wave radio...and we are on the air to pass along, to anyone who is listening...everything we have received...regarding the scale of this global disaster.:::

William turned his chair and slowly settled into it, inviting Kim to his lap, neither turning their eyes from the small radio on the desk. "Sooo not local," Kim breathed.

The tone of the announcer now became a bit more nervous. :::If you are receiving this broadcast, you are listening to a radio that is running on battery or reserve generator...because your power is out. You are...not alone. Your city is not alone. Some of this is speculation from authorities...but most of it has been verified as a fact throughout the world.:::

Kim's and William's hands found each other as they listened – a soft yet warm clasp.

:::Around the world...from the largest cities to the smallest towns...the situation is nearly exactly the same at this hour...it is...dire. This event seems to have altered the frequency at which electrical devices operate. Cities...lay dark and silent...brought to a standstill...vehicles sit in the middle of streets where they stopped operating...there are many reports of people having to be rescued from elevators that had stopped, sometimes between floors...around the world, planes have...have fallen from the sky...powerless as they crashed to the earth, killing everyone on board...as well as unfortunate people on the ground. The fires these crashes have caused...as well as any other major fire...are burning out of control...as the vehicles and equipment used to fight the fires...is without power. It is urged that if there are fires near you, you should...should not try to put them out...just...just evacuate and...let—them burn—:::

The voice on the radio was replaced with a bit of staggered breathing as the announcer stopped. A few seconds later, it turned to dead silence.

Kim turned to William for the first time in several minutes, with a worrisome ridge on her forehead. "I...I think he was...crying," she said softly, clutching her husband's hand a bit tighter.

After a few more seconds of "dead air," another voice came over the radio speaker – that of an older man, his tone more somber and a bit more stable. :::We at WNBC apologize for the...for the delay in broadcasting...actually, on a personal note...I do not apologize. The disaster which seems to have occurred, over the entire world, has affected all of us...as you may have heard with my young colleague, Michael. We are all deeply affected by this...but we here, including Michael, are all committed to sharing with as many of you as we can, as much as we can...as much as we know now...and as much as we learn in the hours and days to come.:::

William reached to the desk for his salad bowl with his free hand, bringing it behind Kim. As he did, she looked first to his bowl, then to hers on the desk, then back to him with a slight smile, slipping her hand from his and turning back to the desk to retrieve her bowl, picking her fork slowly through her salad as the feed from the radio continued.

:::through short-wave feeds, we have been receiving reports from around the country and from other countries about the strange phenomenon in the sky yesterday just before the world-wide blackout. Scientists have been trying to determine what the light which covered the entire sky was, and what part it may have played in the global outage, or even if it was a result of whatever triggered the blackout. From reports we have, the phenomenon covered the entire globe, being seen over countries around the world. First reports we have from local science groups tell us that they think the phenomenon was the actual lighting of the magnetic fields high above the earth. This has led scientists to believe that this is an event of an electromagnetic nature, possibly triggered by solar activity or some other celestial event.:::

William noticed a faint shiver from his wife as the announcer made first mention of the atmospheric incident the day before which seemed to have such a draining effect on her. He set down his fork and lightly drifted his palm over her upper leg in a calming motion.

:::From these reports about this eerie overhead phenomenon, which first occurred in the U.S. during the overnight hours yesterday and turned night into day...the reports from around the world all have noted a strange common factor about the light's effects...that even though the light was very bright, like that of daytime, it produced absolutely no shadow anywhere that could be seen. The light was almost universally described as a very...flat light...and that the phenomenon added no heat to the already elevated temperatures being felt around the Northern Hemisphere. There...there have—we have received some scattered reports from around the country of the light having some effect on...on the "Cellers"...here among us—:::

At mention of "Cellers", Kim let her fork drop into her bowl. Her eyes were a bit wider as her gaze shot back to her husband.

:::—as many of you know::: the announcer continued, :::the "Cellers"...are the...cartoons which visit us from time to time—:::

Kim's eyes shot even wider for a split second – then narrowed as she turned back to the radio with a gritted sneer of sudden contempt. "Car-toons...?" she growled through her breath.

:::The reports tell of "Cellers" feeling extremely weak or tired after being exposed to the light phenomenon, which ended mid-evening yesterday. One report says that, after a long rest, there don't seem to be any lasting effects on the "Cellers" complaining about weakness from exposure. Another report describes the light as being similar to the light that occurs during a "Cross"...which is the alleged process claimed to bring the, "Cellers" into this world:::

Kim's head shot back to William. "Who is _this_ guy???" she huffed.

"...Likely, a non-believer?" offered William.

"A non-believer living in a cocoon," replied Kim. "I'm glad he's not a regular announcer. Maybe he should go on the List of Things to Fix when this mess is over." She then reached back to the desk, setting her bowl there and turned back to William, sliding her hands over his shoulders and drawing him into a light warm embrace. "I'm sure glad you were fixed early on," she purred into his ear.

William uttered a short chuckle, placing an arm around Kim's back. "I...think I know what you're meaning," he said, "but...that's not exactly the phrase a man usually wants to hear."

Kim broke into a quick titter, hugging her husband tighter. "You're right...so not what I meant...but you know what I meant." She then glanced to the clock on the radio face. "I think we should save a bit on the batteries," she said. "It sounds like they're still working on getting things going, and still gathering information—" her brow now lowered a a bit "—and maybe they can find an announcer from this century while they're at it..." She then slid from William's lap to stand, turning to the desk to turn off the radio and pick up her bowl. "Take your dish?" she offered in a lighter tone.

William looked up from his bowl. "Almost done," he said, gathering a bite onto his fork. "You're not going to finish yours?"

Kim looked down into her bowl with an expression as if she had suddenly become slightly disgusted with it. "Nah," she said softly, casting another disparaging look to the radio. "That announcer has kind of...taken my appetite..."

William took his last bite into his mouth and passed his bowl to Kim as he stood to join her. "Maybe it's just because he might not have ever had a chance to meet a Celler..."

"Maybe," interjected Kim as they moved into the hallway, moving toward the kitchen, "but I can't help but find that a little hard to believe...I mean, it's not as though Cellers are...rare anymore...especially after the event with Ki coming through the Conduit at the Mall in front of basically the whole world. Since then there has been a lot of traffic through the Conduit. There are over 150,000 of us in the Flesher environment now. We're part of almost every part of society...it's not like we hide or anything. He has to have seen a Celler _some_where."

"List of Things to Fix," William echoed as they entered the kitchen.

Kim placed the bowls next to the sink, picking hers up again to dump the rest of her salad into the secondary drain. She stopped just before tipping the contents of the bowl into the basin, putting her other hand to her head. "I almost forgot," she said, her voice lowered slightly. "No power...no garbage disposal." She placed the bowl on the counter again, bending to open the door under the sink and bringing out a resealable plastic bag, pulling the zip strip apart at the top to open it. She picked up the bowl again, holding them both over the sink and dumping the salad into the bag. She then put the bowl on the counter a third time and pinched her thumb and forefinger across the top of the bag, sealing it.

William had moved to the sliding glass doors, peering out into the still-darkened yard. "Still no lighter."

Kim joined William at the doors, sliding an arm around his waist. "I imagine John and Carrie have gone back inside by now," she said, also looking out over the low light. "I think it would be a bit depressing to stare at the sky for very long, waiting for a sun that isn't rising when it's supposed to..."

"I'd like to have some phone access," said William. "I hope everyone made it home okay yesterday. Some people just aren't up to a walk of any distance in the heat we've been having."

"It was good of Marcy to put some people up at work," added Kim. "They'll be safe there until they can make arrangements." She then cast a glance to her right, to the phone on the wall. "It would be nice to be able to get in touch with Marcy, just to make sure the family is alright," she sighed. "It would be nice to hear from someone...even if nothing else has happened." Her gaze now returned to the back yard, the trees still active from the wind. "I think once this dies down, I might walk over and see how she's doing."

William looked away from the window to his wife. "Promise me something?" Kim nodded once in response. "Promise me your health is back on an even keel before you decide to take a walk that far..."

Kim's response to this was to raise a hand to find her husband's, cupping it with her other hand, clasping his between them warmly. "I'm feeling alright again," she said with a warm smile, both reassuring and appreciative, "I promise. I'm just as good as before, after the light went away and after that long sleep. I feel good." She punctuated the last with a single shake of William's hand in hers.

William's smile began to spread to rival that of his wife – then at a point, it stopped as Kim's expression began to fail a bit. "There's someone else I wish I could get in touch with," she said, her eyes leaving those before her and moving slightly to the side, "and I couldn't walk there fast enough...no matter how good I feel..."

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

Penn State University  
Campus Dormitory Building 6-A  
2nd Floor  
Thursday, June 26th  
12:35 PM.  
_click_

_fffffffffffffff_

_click_

_click_

_fffffffffffffff_

_click_

"Frannie..."

_click_

_fffffffffffffff_

_click_

"...you need to stop..."

_click_

_fffffffffffffff_

_click_

"...If nothing came on the last hundred times you turned on the radio, why would you think anything would come on the next time you did it?"

_click_

_fffffffffffffff_

"You know what?" Kimi snarled, quickly rising from her seat on the folded hide-a-bed and crossing the room to the chair Frannie was seated in. "Every time you turn on that switch, it's all about two things wear out a little more...the batteries—" she took a swipe at Frannie's lap, harshly plucking the portable radio from her arms, reaching with her other hand to flick the switch to the "off" position "—and my nerves." She then turned and walked back to the couch/bed, turning slightly to place the radio onto the table before sitting back down next to Zach and leveling an expression of exasperation back to her blonde friend in the chair, as if the act of interceding were superfluous at best, if not an outright chore to physically point it out.

Frannie went into a bit of wistful, defiant display at this, turning her head to the darkened scene through the window. "...at least the static is _something_ from out there," she pouted. "A step closer to home, even if symbolically."

Monique stirred from under a blanket in another chair. "No," she said, "the static is just the dead air between stations. It would be there if the stations were on or not...if we had power or not...even if we had daylight or not." She adjusted slightly to face Frannie. "Turning the radio on and off like that wasn't going to bring any stations in...even if there were any on. You needed to cut it out."

"...no," Frannie retorted a bit softly, her gaze still centered outside. "I needed to be home a day ago." She sat for a moment in silence before she continued, turning her head to Kimi. "It's all about your mom and dad have themselves to look after each other." Her eyes now shifted to Zach. "Same with you," she said, "your folks are there for each other." She slowly returned to looking out the window. "My mom is all about live alone. She has no one there in case anything happens. When everything was working, I could at least call her to make sure everything was alright...if something did happen, I could be home in a couple of hours—" her eyes fell from the window to the floor – her voice softer and wavering a bit "—right now, because of whatever is going on outside...I can't do either of those things..." There was another moment of uneasy silence broken by Frannie suddenly rising from her chair and turning for the bathroom, wiping her eyes as she went.

As the bathroom door banged shut rather hard, the three remaining in the living room sat for a moment, all eyes trained on the closed door. After a few more seconds, Monique slid her blanket to her side, moving to rise from her chair. "I'll talk to her..."

Kimi stood before Monique could get to her feet. "No," she said holding up a hand, "you just rest some more...you might still be weak from the light thingy yesterday...we almost had to carry you up here after walking back from the buses." She took a turn toward the bathroom – then turned her head back to Monique and Zach. "She's right," she said in a softer voice. "We need to find a way to get home..."

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

Eastgate  
7:58 PM.  
Kim popped the last bite of her sandwich into her mouth and dusted her fingers over the paper plate in her lap, then set it on the coffee table in front of the couch. She then turned to her husband, also seated on the couch. "Good stuff," she smiled. "That shaved turkey keeps a long time."

"The fridge is still cold enough that things are still alright," said William. "If we don't open it much, things should be good for at least a while yet...not sure about the frozen items, though..."

Kim's expression fell a little. "Yeah...things in the freezer probably won't make it through the weekend. We'll probably have to bag them up." She then reached for William's plate, placing it on her own. "Feel like a little radio? Maybe they have things a little more together by now."

William moved his hands to his knees in a motion to stand. "Okay...let's head for the office..."

One of his hands was topped by his wife's. "Nah," Kim smiled. "I have a better idea. Stay here." She rose from the couch and walked down the hallway, turning at the office door. She returned a moment later, the small radio in one hand, the length of wire coiled loosely around her other, which was also holding the small ladder. She walked into the living room, moving toward one of the windows and placing the radio on the top shelf of a small bookcase. She then unfolded the ladder, setting it under the window, and stepped up onto it, taking the end of the wire between two fingers and letting the rest uncoil toward the floor. "There aren't any tiles in the ceiling in here," Kim said, "but the curtain rod should do just as well." She tied the exposed end of the wire in a loop around the end of the metal curtain rod, giving it a slight tug, then stepped from the ladder, gathering the other end of the wire and tying it around the end of the small radio's antenna before extending it.

Kim then reached to the switch to turn the radio on, and a voice immediately emanated from the speaker. Kim turned back to William with the slight perk of a grin. "Sounds even clearer out here," she said. "Loud enough?" William made an upward motion with his index finger. Kim adjusted the volume a bit, receiving a nod from her husband before she returned to the couch to sit next to him.

As she settled onto the cushion, the radio sounded the same series of tones it had earlier in the day. "The same emergency tones," Kim affirmed.

Their attention then focused to the radio, listening to the announcer as he spoke in a rather somber tone, as if letting his voice inflection further underscore the nature of the disaster. Even though Kim had tuned the station as best she could, to the exclusion of background hiss, the voice was slightly raspy as before, as if the announcer were far away:

:::The tones you have just heard are required by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to be transmitted every 30 minutes to indicate an ongoing emergency condition. The local time here is 8:00 PM, Eastern Daylight time zone. The day is Thursday, June the 26th. For those of you who are receiving this broadcast, this signal is originating from AM station WNBC in downtown New York City in the United States, in the Western Hemisphere, broadcasting on AM reserved emergency frequency 620. There will be no translated broadcast for those in foreign countries who are receiving this signal...that will be up to your respective local and state government agencies to process this signal into your local languages.:::

"A bit of repeating," Kim noted.

"Probably for those who just recently found the station," remarked William.

:::At this time, the Earth is still held under the after-effects of the massive light event in the sky which occurred some 40 hours ago, and covered the entire planet just before the blackout which has reached to every corner of the globe. The light lasted until subsiding last evening...but the electrical outage, which seems to have been a direct effect of the light, goes on. If you're sitting in your home, or your office, or stranded somewhere else, without power and without a working vehicle...you may take some small solace in the fact that it is not a local or even regional outage. The blackout of electrical devices is worldwide...you are not alone. We are coming to you via short-wave radio, powered by battery generator backup, and beamed to our satellite which, through some miracle, we still have, thank goodness. The outage affects all devices which operate on 110 or 220 volts, and has even disrupted the electrical process by which the fuel cells power the electric motors in vehicles:::

"..that would explain the cars not working," Kim said softly.

:::In the hours since the appearance of the light throughout the sky, and the outage shortly afterward, we have been talking with scientists and geologists in the New York area in an effort to try to find out and report what is occurring. As we have found out, and as I'm sure most of you are aware, the situation the planet is currently under is nothing short of...dire. There are still answers to be found, but...the event in the sky yesterday, in addition to rendering the world's electric devices useless...has also somehow been accompanied by, or resulted in, the stoppage of the very rotation of this planet. We have been told that the weather changes occurring around the world over the last two months or so have also been a part of this, as a result of the Earth itself changing its rate of tilt in space over that time period. Changes in the magnetic fields surrounding the planet have contributed to a substantial shifting in the Earth's magnetic poles. This "pole shift" is what has caused the massive and complete failure of the world's electrical devices and appliances.:::

As the radio report continued, Kim and William moved almost instinctively, Kim slowly sliding her arm under her husband's, their hands intertwining as they moved closer.

:::This power outage has also brought a simultaneous and disastrous global halt to air travel, as planes around the world suddenly lost power during the massive light event, sending them falling to the ground. The President of the United States, as well as leaders of most other countries, has ordered the stoppage of any attempts to resume air travel, should any planes be repaired or appear to return to an operational state, grounding the world's airlines until an investigation can be launched into their failures. As there are literally thousands of commercial flights in the air around the world at any one time, typically over 40,000...the death toll from these crashes is nearly impossible to count immediately, given the magnitude and worldwide scope of these freak accidents, but between those on the flights as well as people on the ground, the totals are certain to reach into the millions:::

Kim turned to William – and he could see right away the impact of the news report on her, her brow a furrowed awning over her slightly glassed eyes, her mouth curled into a deep frown.

:::Were the deaths from the airline disasters the extent of the tragedy::: the announcer continued :::it would be horror enough...but there are also wide reports of deaths brought on by the changes in the tilt of the Earth and the stoppage of its rotation. Through relays from short-wave radio communications from around the world, we are receiving reports of how widespread this disaster really is. The changes in the weather that had been occurring in the months before the pole shift are now even further exacerbated by the loss of motion of the planet. Parts of the Northern Hemisphere, including the North American continent, are currently and thankfully spared from the worst of this wrath...but other parts of the world are at the mercy of the now stationary position of the Sun in the skies. The Sun is currently nearly directly overhead in parts of the Middle East. There are areas of Saudi Arabia and Northern Africa which are reporting constant air temperatures near, at, and over, 200 degrees Fahrenheit of relentless heat.:::

At mention of the number, Kim took in a small sudden gasp, clutching tighter to William's arm.

:::There are reports of people dying in the streets, their bodies actually beginning to cook as they fall onto superheated bricks or concrete. Others are receiving second- and even third-degree burns as they make even momentary contact with hot buildings or metal exposed to the Sun. There have been reports of people being scalded from jumping into rivers and other bodies of water, hoping to escape the terrible heat. Other reports tell of people making pilgrimages into the desert to burrow under the sand in an attempt to shield their bodies from direct exposure to the unforgiving onslaught of constant daylight. In parts of Europe, subway stations and other underground structures are offering shelter from the Sun's rays...but in the absence of air conditioning, the heat and humidity of these places coupled with the body heat of now up to thousands of people crammed into them, are creating numerous reports of dehydration and heat strokes.:::

As the report continued, William noticed a slight shiver in his wife's touch. He moved his other hand to smooth his fingers over Kim's forearm.

:::While large portions of the Northern Hemisphere are broiling from the non-moving Sun, the Southern Hemisphere is also undergoing climatic disaster – but at the other end of the temperature scale. Portions of Southern Africa are receiving heavy snow...and in South America, where the lack of sunlight has brought a constant complete darkness, the temperatures have plunged far below zero...and are getting colder. There are reports of many, many people also dying in this part of the world, either from exposure to the cold, from lack of heating equipment...or from fires lit to provide warmth which spread out of control due to lack of operational fire-fighting equipment. We have received reports of the Southern Ice Cap expanding as the part of the Southern Ocean between Antarctica and South America, known as Drake Passage...is beginning to freeze over. There is also a report that the Antarctic Peninsula, and Cape Horn in the southernmost tip of Argentina, usually separated by hundreds of miles of ocean...are at this moment...within sight of one another across the shrinking gap between the expanding shelves of fresh ice.:::

This continued string of horror caused Kim to turn toward William, moving her face into his chest as her other arm wrapped around him. "This is...bad..." she said in a weak voice with a slight waver, "...this is-soo-bad..."

William closed his eyes in silent agreement, bringing his arm around his wife, feeling her fingers gather against his shoulder as she held tighter.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

Friday, June 27th  
Penn State  
2:14 AM.  
"hey...!"

The fingers that had been slowly cycling through the AM band for the last 20 minutes jumped for a split second – then returned to the dial, giving it a small adjustment to try to filter out a bit more of the hissing haze.

:::—in an effort to preserve perishables, but frozen items will most likely spoil within a few days, so it is urged that you dispose of them by bagging them securely:::

Frannie suddenly jumped from the chair, setting the radio on the cushion she had just vacated. "Hey—hey guys! Get up! Wake up! I found a radio station!"

Monique rose with a start from the chair she was curled upon. "Wha—what?"

"Get up!" Frannie blurted again. "The radio's on!"

The covers stirred on one side of the hide-a-bed – and Zach rose, yawning slightly and rubbing one eye with the heel of his hand.

"Something on the radio...?" Kimi asked softly in a fresh post-sleep fuzz from the other side of the bed.

"Something from out _there_," said Frannie, motioning a finger to the still-darkened window. She then picked up the radio and sat back into the chair, adjusting the volume.

:::—quarter past the hour...to expand on the headline from the top of the hour...we have been receiving reports from the area which may be the possible origin or source of the light event which covered the globe just before the worldwide power outage—:::

upon hearing this, the three who were sleeping just a moment before now turned more attention to the small speaker.

:::Through short-wave transmissions from the area, we have been receiving first-hand reports from people living in the small town of Tusayan, which is about seven miles south of the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, in northern Arizona. Residents of Tusayan report an incident which happened just before the light event in the early hours on Wednesday. They said there was a large beam of light, almost appearing like a "tube from the sky" which descended into the southern part of the Canyon. Reports describe the light at the leading edge of the beam as very, very bright, one witness saying that it seemed "as if the Sun itself had landed in the Canyon". The incident also brought loud rumbling like thunder over the entire area. Another report described the light as being similar to that seen during the process in which a cartoon character known as a "Celler" comes from their world into ours.:::

At the word "Celler," Kimi immediately perked to Monique, who met her eyes. They then turned back toward the radio.

:::Residents say that the bright display lasted for the better part of the day Wednesday, emanating mainly from below the canyon rim, and during which time the bright light that was seen throughout the world seemed to stream from the site and over the entire sky, spreading to the horizon in all directions. Reports tell us that any attempts to capture images of the event resulted in cameras being damaged, fried from the inside:::

"...the-hell?" uttered Kimi.

:::Further reports from the area of the blinding light show say that, when the phenomenon in the sky faded late Wednesday evening, the light in the Canyon also died down, being replaced by an intense red glow that can reportedly be seen from hundreds of miles away. As with the initial light that descended from the sky, any attempts to capture the glow on camera immediately destroyed the equipment.:::

"I wish we lived somewhere near there," Kimi said. "I'd want to be all about check it out."

"The stuff he said kind of _sounded_ like the light from a Cross," added Monique, "especially the cameras frying part...but...I don't know why there would be a Cross in the bottom of the Grand Canyon...and I don't get the red glow part..."

:::In the hours after the appearance of the red glow::: the announcer continued :::there have been scattered reports of crimes in the towns to the south of the Canyon, apparently being carried out by Cellers—:::

Frannie let out a small gasp. Kimi looked again to Monique, whose face was one of shock at what she was hearing.

:::—which include break-ins of a hardware store and sporting goods store in Williams...and a daring raid on a National Guard armory near Flagstaff which left one Guardsman and one Celler dead, and two more critically wounded. National Guard officials did not disclose the nature of the items stolen in the attack—:::

Monique's eyes steeled to the radio. "That can't be true!" she growled. "Cellers don't attack people or steal stuff! They wouldn't _do _things like that!" She now turned to Kimi, her expression becoming more disbelief than anger. "The only ones who might are the evil ones...but they're not in this environment...they can't even get here."

Kimi shook her head slowly, affirming Monique's statement. "Nope...I don't believe it..."

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

Friday, June 27th  
2:28 AM.  
"...William?"

A few seconds of deep silence passed – then the soft voice came again. "William? Honey?" This was accompanied by a light caress on the shoulder of the form under the covers.

That form slowly rustled until William's face turned on the pillow to face his wife. "Hi."

Kim's face melted into a soft, weak smile. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I just didn't think you were....very asleep yet...."

"No," replied William, "not very. I was just dropping off. What's on your mind?"

Kim's tone became softer now. "That's just it," she sighed. "It's...my mind...you know how sometimes, it can run away with me..."

"I think I mainly know that because I'm pretty much the same way...that, and several years of marriage," William finished with a small smirk.

Kim responded with a small exhale through her smile. "Yeah...little traits like that have their way of coming out, after a few years." Her voice again softened a little. "But yeah...it's been running...especially with everything that's been going on in the last couple of months, with the power outages and the weather and...and everything else..."

William immediately knew what the "everything else" alluded to. He moved to place a caress over Kim's upper arm as she continued.

"And now this latest thing with the earth tilting out of balance and stopping rotation...and the crazy light thing the other day... it's just got me thinking a lot." There was a short pause, as if she were choosing her words carefully – then her tone became somber, more serious. "William...with everything that's happening all over the world...have you thought that...that maybe..." another short weighted pause "...this could be...it?"

Even though William understood the meaning of Kim's question, the gravity of her last word wouldn't let his mind process without hearing confirmation from her, causing him to verbalize. "...It?" he repeated.

"It...the end..." Kim said, her tone now slow, a bit distant and coupled with a slight shudder that William could feel. "The end of...of everything..."

There was another moment of silence – but this time fed by the tension the weight of Kim's statement had begun to settle onto both of them.

William's soft answer aborted that silence. "I...I haven't thought that much about it...until you mentioned it. I guess I'm just not ready to think about something like that enough to absorb it...or maybe I'm not ready...to accept it...if that's really what is happening."

Kim moved closer to William, sliding one arm beneath his side and the other over him, drawing him close. "About the only _good_ thing that's happened in the last month...is that you're still here with me."

William warmly returned the embrace. "I was pretty sure I wasn't planning on going anywhere," he said. "Even if this were to be...the end...I can't think of any other place I'd want to be."

Kim tightened her hug a bit, giving her silent thanks for and agreement with her husband's words. They remained like this for a moment – then Kim retracted a bit until they were face to face. "Only one thing, though," she said softly.

William grasped the heart of the thought even before it escaped from his wife's lips, as his mind also held the sentiment. "...Ki?"

"I know she's in great shape," said Kim, "and she can handle herself...but it...it would be nice if I could just get in touch with her...somehow. Even just to hear her voice...and to know she's okay..." She then returned to William's arms.

William softly stroked Kim's upper back in an effort to soothe her fears – and his own. "I know it's not much help," he said, "especially in a time like this...but...it's almost too bad this isn't more like the show." He waited for a couple of seconds until he felt Kim's inquisitive "Hm?" against his shoulder. "In the show, things would almost get to a...a 'crisis point', where all seemed hopeless...then, through some fluke of logic or a technological miracle, a solution to the problem was found."

William then heard the exhale of a soft chuckle in his ear and Kim adjusted slightly until their lips were just a couple of inches from each other. "Yeah," she said. "I guess scripted fighting against super-villains was a little easier than the 'real life' away from the camera...but it was awfully predictable...and actually...not as fun." She then closed in for a small kiss, sliding back again to smile into the eyes of the man she had fallen so deeply in love with. "But even if there were a 'super-villain' here in the Flesher environment...the only way they could hatch something as wide-reaching and total as the end of the world would be as part of some sci-fi movie plot." Kim then placed another soft kiss on William's lips. "Besides," she purred, "the good things...don't usually need a script..."

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

Friday, June 27th  
11:06 AM.  
William placed another slice of the thinly-shaved turkey breast onto a slice of bread and reached into the bag for bread to top it. He then took the empty plastic turkey pouch from the counter, wadding it up and letting it slide into the trash. "That's the last of it," he said, picking up one of the paper plates from the counter and turning to pass it to Kim.

Kim reached for the plate. "Thanks," she said. "Maybe we should go by the store this weekend and see if they still have any more—" she stopped short, her face sliding downward and a bit to the side "—if they're even open anymore, that is..."

"I'll bet they're still open," William replied. "After all...people need food...and to let all that food just sit and go to waste...the owner of the corner market still needs to make at least some profit from that food."

Kim looked up to William. "Yeah...but without power for lights..."

William turned back to the refrigerator and took a small flashlight held to it by a magnet, grinning while waving it slightly.

Kim uttered a small sheepish giggle. "Oh yeah." she then held up her plate. "Meet you at the couch?"

William nodded once, still with his grin, and turned to the counter to get his plate.

They were both frozen by a sound neither had heard for a while – a light knocking that caused them to turn to each other.

"Is that...the door?" asked Kim. She turned to place her plate on the dining room table and picked up one of the lamps, turning it on. She heard the sound again as she entered the living room, slowing her pace as she neared the foyer.

"Careful..." William cautioned softly.

Kim took a quick look back at William as she reached the door. She slowly peered into the viewer – then quickly reached for the knob and swung open the inside door, looking out onto the porch and the visitor standing there, shoulder propping the outside door open.

There was no word spoken right away. The two women stood for a moment, their eyes locked on each other – then a purposeful, almost desperate reach for a welcome embrace, as if their time apart had been far longer than two days.

"How are you, Honey," Marcy muffled into Kim's shoulder in a slightly wavered voice as they hugged. She then brought Kim back to arm's length, looking her over. "I'm so glad to see you...you're sure looking better than you were the other day. I heard on the radio about that light affecting Cellers."

"Yeah," Kim replied, "much better, after a long nap."

"I've been worried about you ever since the day we all went home," said Marcy as the two entered the living room. "It's good to see you're okay."

"Hi there," came from the other side of the living room as William entered from the kitchen with a smile.

Marcy turned from Kim to take William into her arms. "Hi," she returned.

"It got a little scary for a while Wednesday," he said. "I actually had to help her part of the way home."

"You're always there for her," Marcy smiled, placing an arm back around Kim. "I know she's in good hands."

"How are you and your family doing?" William asked.

"Not too bad," said Marcy. "Valencia is a bit lost, without being able to go to the college, and Lupe` is a little worried about the restaurant...all the food is going to spoil without refrigeration. Trujillo came over from his apartment yesterday. He's been staying with us. He and I have been keeping busy playing chess, and Vale and Lupe` play a lot of cards."

"I wonder how those people are doing who had decided to stay at work that day," Kim said. "Or if there is even anyone still there..."

"Yeah," said Marcy, "there are still about a hundred. You know Joy from Accounting? Her brother works at the hospital. She stopped by and talked to him on her way home on Wednesday. They had quite a few volunteers come by there yesterday with wheelchairs and a bunch of equipment to check on people. They stayed all day, and actually took about 40 people all the way home in the wheelchairs."

Kim's expression instantly spread into a wide smile at this. "Awww," she said, "that's neat. I remember there were a lot of the people who stayed because they just couldn't make the walk all the way to their homes."

"They said they were going to come back out today and take some more people home. I don't know how many there will be because the hospital is pretty busy, after the plane crashes on Wednesday...but they said they would keep sending people by until all the people staying at Meridian were home."

Kim then got a rather puzzled look. "Wait...how did you hear about all this?"

"I went by there yesterday," Marcy said, lifting a foot to show her running shoes. "I'm in good enough shape, and it's nothing but good for me."

"Yeah, but...isn't that kind of...I mean, in the heat...?"

Marcy's brow lightened a bit and her mouth slipped into a small grin. "Not any more. Without the Sun overhead...it's cooled off a bit. That's really helped with Vale's allergies. But I wanted to tell you...I stopped by work yesterday on my way to the bank. My next-door neighbor had told me that they were open."

Kim and William perked to each other, then Kim back to Marcy. "The bank is open?"

"Yep...on battery generator."

"But...what about all the...how are they doing electronic transactions?"

"It was actually kind of neat," Marcy said. "They're doing everything on paper. It's mostly vouchers for most of the stuff...but they still have cash. That's why I came by. I made a big withdrawal yesterday...and if I were you, I'd make one, too."

"How much did you take out?" asked William.

"They said I could have taken out more," said Marcy, "but I took out $100,000." This brought a small gasp from Kim. "It's a lot, but...I hope it doesn't turn out to be a case of erring on the side of optimism," continued Marcy, "...but if you can, I would try to get at least that much. Lupe` went over later in the afternoon and took out that much, too. Both times, the bank offered to have an armed guard walk each of us all the way home with the money."

"Wh—why...so much?" Kim asked, a thin note of astonishment in her voice.

"If this outage lasts for a while, stores won't be taking debit cards anymore...maybe not even checks...they'll be dealing strictly in cash. With things not running normally, supplies could get kind of tight."

"...and expensive," added William. "I don't imagine the bank will be open on the weekend...I'll head over there this afternoon."

"I actually should have come over yesterday and told you," said Marcy. "If you can't get over there, just give me a c—" she stopped in mid-sentence, closing her eyes slowly, remembering the lack of phone service "—I mean...come over and let us know. Lupe` and I can get you through the weekend...and we'll certainly help you to get anything you need.

This was answered with Kim moving to give Marcy a hug of thanks. "Speaking of supplies," asked Kim as they separated, "have you heard anything about the grocery down in the Market Square being open at all? Have you been by there?"

"I haven't," Marcy replied, "but Lupe` stopped by there yesterday after going to the bank." Her expression now fell into a bit of disdain. "They're open," she said, "...but they don't have a lot of things...and the prices are just...crazy. The owner is rationing what people buy. He told Lupe` that he's keeping people from coming in and buying stuff out, just to hoard it or resell it at a profit...he wants everyone to have a chance to get the stuff he has left."

"I've known old Bob for years," said William. "He's always been fair to people. He's had that store since before I first moved into the apartment by there. We still do quite a bit of our shopping there."

"I'll get down there over the weekend," Kim said. "We don't need much."

"When you do," cautioned Marcy, "just remember...bring more money than you think you'll need...because you'll most likely need it."

Kim responded with a nod. "Lots of cash...check."

Marcy now slipped into a bit of a smile. "Well, it looks like you kids are doing alright...I was going to go home through the park and see if Mary is over at Tina's. It's a lot closer to work than her house...especially if one has to walk."

"I wish I could tell you that I know if she's there or not," said Kim, "...but I haven't been out of the house since we came home on Wednesday. Do me a favor? If she's there, ask her to head over and see us. I'd like to know how she's holding up—" her expression fell a little "—what with everything that's going on...first Tina, and now this..." Kim thought for a few seconds, then turned to Marcy again. "You know...she might have gone to look after her mother...she's all alone during this..."

Marcy slowly echoed Kim's expression. "Yeah," she said softly. "You might be right. But I'll drop by there anyway, since I'm in the neighborhood. I'll leave a small note, just in case she would go over there. I'll add that you said hi and you'd like to see her."

Kim broke into a warm smile as she reached for her friend. "Thanks...and thanks for coming by," she said as the three made motions toward the front door. "You be kind of careful out there...it doesn't look like it's easy to see."

"Actually," replied Marcy, "it's not so bad, once your eyes get used to it." She then turned to the still-open door. "...at least it's not...totally dark out..."

Kim joined her to peer out onto the stilled pre-dawn sight. "I think I'll take a little flashlight when I go...just in case." She then brought Marcy into another hug. "You be careful anyway...'k?"

"Not to worry," Marcy grinned, looking back as she reached for the handle to the outer door, "I have way too much to keep on for."

"Yeah, ya do," Kim beamed as Marcy stepped out into the yard. "We all do. Talk to you in a day or two."

With this, Marcy cast a wave over her shoulder and started to cross the street, reaching up a hand to gather her hair from the still active breeze as she made her way to the edge of Mason Park.

Kim continued to watch until Marcy faded into the darkened landscape of the park some 50 feet in. "I'm sooo taking a flashlight with me when I go to the store," she said under her breath.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

It was shortly after 2 in the afternoon when William made his walk to the bank. A short discussion early in the afternoon led them to jointly decide that Kim would stay at home, mainly to watch after the house and be there should any other of their friends stop by. William was inwardly pleased at this decision. Even though not vocalized during the discussion, it was partly his wish for Kim to remain home for another day, as he was still less-than completely sure of the extent of her recovery from the effects of the event in the sky just two days previous. Kim protested slightly, trying to reassure her husband that she had shaken off the residual weakness from her exposure to Wednesday's celestial phenomenon which seemingly resulted in the stoppage of Earth's rotation, but agreed after a very short time, reasoning that she would be able to venture through the darkened streets the next day on a trip to the market.

William set off for the bank carrying a small sturdy suitcase, taking along the small flashlight from the refrigerator, and a vial of pepper spray in a pouch on his belt. He returned in just over an hour-and-a-half, accompanied by an armed guard who saw him home with the suitcase now containing their full withdrawal limit of $250,000, in varying denominations. He told Kim of the strangeness of his journey. With the almost complete lack of sunlight, save for the hint of indirect light from under the eastern horizon, William felt as if he were making his trek during the pre-dawn hours rather than the middle of the afternoon. Even the temperature was now more in line with what felt like a "normal" summer dawn, having settled into the mid-70's after two days without the Sun blazing overhead.

When Kim inquired of William his observations of the demeanor and general atmosphere of the people he passed and met on his trip to the bank, his reply wasn't far from the guess she had formulated. William told her that most people were civil – but in nearly everyone he had contact with, he could detect what seemed to be an underlying skittishness that could be expected with the scope of recent events.

After both Kim and William offered thanks to the guard for his escort from the bank, they went to the basement and transferred their large sum of cash to a safe located in a small closet at the back of the exercise room. Upon their return upstairs they were presented with another knock at the front door – this time visited by Carrie, her hands full of packaged dishes. They invited her inside, and she surprised them with the news that John had fired up a wood-burning stove he had been refurbishing in the back yard a couple of weeks before the big blackout. They were further surprised by what Carrie had brought them; two heaping plates of spaghetti and meatballs, and a plate of warm garlic bread – their first hot meal since breakfast Tuesday evening.

They were both extremely pleased and thankful for this unexpected gift; but Kim was especially grateful, not allowing Carrie to leave until she had rushed to the deep freeze in the garage to retrieve a pair of succulent Porterhouse steaks in return for their neighbors' generosity. Kim was thankful that they had always kept the temperature in the large cabinet extra low, as the steaks were still frozen at their cores, ensuring they were still good. Carrie at first tried to refuse the offering, saying that the degree of the smiles on the Hodges' faces was more than enough thanks for the meal she had brought – but Kim wouldn't take no for an answer, and her insistence won out. She wrapped the steaks in a towel for Carrie to take them home.

After watching their neighbor return to her home through the darkened yard, Kim and William let their appetite for hot food lead them to the dining room table, where their newly-cooked treat sat. They dug into the food, eating all of it including three slices of garlic toast each. The meal so filled Kim that she became rather drowsy shortly afterward, and she moved to the bedroom for a nap. William instead went to the couch, and even he dozed off for a few minutes, lulled by the soft drone from the radio and the soft ambiance of the lack of light.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

9:02 PM.  
Kim emerged from the bedroom and sleepily made her way along the hallway, lightly rubbing one eye. She entered the living room to find William seated on the couch in the nearly dark room, lit only by the faint light of the now-constant ante-dawn coming through the windows. He turned as she entered the room. "Good morning," he said.

"Morning," Kim managed softly, turning to look out one of the windows. "With it being dark all the time now, it's kind of hard to tell morning from evening..."

A faint smile grew on William's face. "It's actually evening," he said. "I was making a little joke, from you just waking up."

Kim flashed William a second's look of slight disdain. "Very not funny," she said softly. Then her head drooped a bit. "Between that big meal from John and Carrie, and it being duskish all the time, I guess I just had one of those naps where you wake up...kind of confused about what time it is." She brought her arms out in a stretch, closing her eyes tightly as she did so. As she opened them, she looked first to the nearly night scene out the window, then around the room at the silenced electrical devices, as if she had hoped that her fresh look around would somehow shake her head of this continuing bad dream. "It might even help if there were more to do during this blackout..."

William motioned to the cushion next to him, patting it soffly. "Join me. That's something to do."

Kim's face reverted to a grin as she moved to the couch, sitting to the right of her husband. "That's always something nice to do." She then motioned to a paper plate on the coffee table holding two folded slices of bread.

"Just a little late-evening snack," said William as he reached for the plate.

The soothing aroma of peanuts caressed Kim's nose as William brought the plate closer. She reached for one of the small half-sandwiches and slowly sank her teeth into a corner, savoring it as she chewed.

"This little snack represents the last of the bread," William said as he picked up the other slice, "and, about the last of the peanut butter."

Kim nodded slightly as she finished her bite. "I was planning on getting to the store sometime tomorrow...but remind me to go down to the generator first and get fresh batteries for the little flashlight on the fridge."

"Good idea," added William. "All the batteries down on the charger should be full by now." He then motioned to the small radio which he had moved from the bookcase and set on the coffee table. "I just put a fresh set in here."

Kim looked to the table. "Isn't the reception worse without the wire on the antenna?"

"Not really," William replied. "Maybe their signal is stronger...or it might have something to do with the fresh batteries."

Kim now turned slowly downward, her eyes leaving the radio. "...not like there's much on worth listening to," she said softly. "One can handle listening to only so much hopelessness and death..."

William's expression lightened a little in empathy and into a bit of a smile. "Actually, I listened for a while after you went to lie down. It sounds as if they've been trying to have some other programs on as a bit of a distraction."

Kim's eyes perked a bit to William. "...really? Like...like what?"

"They had a thing on a couple of hours ago...someone called a 'social professor'. He was talking about how people can get things they need like food and other items, if they didn't have cash on hand. He was giving points about bartering, and other ways to exchange what you have for what you need."

"Yeah," Kim replied. "If a lot of people keep taking as much money out of the bank as we and Marcy and Lupe` did, I can't see them being open for much longer than a week or so...then we'd have to get creative in how we get things—" her expression dropped again a little "—once the cash runs out..."

"Maybe there's something similar on," William offered, "or maybe they're running that same show again...people are going to want helpful tips like that." He then reached to gently lift Kim's head until their eyes met, and made a slight motion with his eyes in the direction of the radio coupled with a gentle tip of his head. "...Want to try it?"

Kim now cast a slightly skeptical glance at the radio. "...O...kay," she said slowly – then her gaze shifted back to William, her eyes narrowed a bit. "...but if there's something on about more death and disaster—" she finished with a swipe of her hand away from the couch "—I am _so_ out of the room..."

William nodded once, then slipped into a tiny smirk. "That's as long as I don't shut it off before you make it out of the room," he said as he leaned toward the coffee table. "I'm not much in the mood for disaster myself." He retrieved the small radio from the table and turned it on, then set it back onto the table, adjusting the volume a bit, along with the orientation of the radio itself until the static was at a bare minimum before settling back onto the couch, sliding an arm around his wife.

:::Good evening::: the announcer started :::I'm Oscar Mastre for WNBC in New York City. The local time is 9:07 PM, in the Eastern Time Zone. As I'm sure most of you who have been listening in the past several hours may have noticed, we are attempting to bring some sort of respite, however small or brief, from the constant reports of effects from the current extreme weather conditions, and now the added disaster of a worldwide disruption of many different types of electrical power and cessation of the Earth's rotation by offering programs other than news in every alternating hour.:::

"Kind of sounds like they're reading your mind," William half-quipped, causing Kim to lightly tap his forearm.

:::Of course, as has always been the policy here at WNBC, we will interrupt programming with any breaking news that we receive. For those of you listening for it, news reports will resume a few minutes after Ten O'Clock, a little under an hour from now. Now, as some of our regular listeners may know, I am usually broadcasting in this time slot with my program, "Point to Counterpoint"...and this is what we're going to attempt to achieve this evening. While we won't be going specifically into details about the scale of the disasters that have occurred around the globe, what we will attempt to do is to try to explore some of the more political aspects of what is happening, and perhaps gain a little insight into what Washington may be thinking about how best to deal with the recent events:::

Kim rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "Politics," she sighed. "Not death and destruction, but the next closest thing..."

She made a motion to rise from the couch when William stopped her with a hand to her upper arm. "Wait a little, Hon," he said. "Maybe they'll be talking about what they're planning to do to deal with this..."

Kim had little problem demonstrating her reluctance to endure the broadcast. She sank back onto the couch, making sure to leave a few more inches distance between herself and her insistent husband as their attention returned to the radio.

:::Here with us in the studio tonight we are pleased to have the United States Senator from New York's 13th Congressional District, Raymond Conlin. Good evening, Senator:::

The next voice to come over the radio speaker was one that Kim and William had heard more than once in the media. The voice belonged to an older gentleman – smooth vocabulary yet with a gruff edge and awash with the tone that spelled opportunism and long-practiced pandering for career and personal gain, even if it meant at the expense of even those from his own party who did not express or embrace the views of he, his constituents or voter base. :::Evening, Oscar...good to see things are getting back to at least a semi-operational state:::

:::Well,::: Oscar chuckled, :::I'm sure things are still running fairly smoothly in Washington, with the resources you have available there:::

:::Not really::: the Senator quipped, :::without electricity...none of the voting machines work:::

Kim's eyes once again turned toward the ceiling and she huffed out a "Pffssss," crossing her arms as both men laughed. "Gee, I hope neither of them strain their arm patting each other on the back..."

:::But on to more serious discussion::: said Oscar :::and on to what you and, from what I understand, several other members of Congress believe might be the possible reason behind not only the worldwide blackout, but profound changes in the earth's climate and other elements:::

:::That's right, Oscar. As you and I have been discussing before the show, and as I have been discussing with several other of my fellow Senators, we are of the opinion that there has been a force at work to bring about these disasters as what we believe is part of a long-planned master plot against the human race:::

William focused a little more toward the radio while Kim worked to try to appear indifferent.

:::Yes, and as I said when you first brought up the concept, it's so amazing as to border on the outlandish:::

:::It may sound that way at first glance, but there are aspects of it that fall right into place. It's our belief that these changes, both in climate and other horrendous disruptions which have resulted in the deaths of countless thousands, sure to become millions as the terror is allowed to continue, are being brought about by an alien faction which has worked itself to integrate into our society for about the last forty years or so...members of that faction are known around the world by the name "Cellers":::

The second the word came from the speaker, William's jaw dropped. Kim's eyes shot wide and her head whipped quickly to the small radio, her brow lowering in disbelieving rage at what she had just heard. "W-_hat???_" she spat. "_Alien-faction!??_"

:::Senator, it....it just sounds like—like quite a reach to make such an accusation::: said Oscar, :::with all of the happiness and joy that Cellers have brought to so many lives. About how long have you held this position on Cellers?:::

:::Actually, I had started talks on the Senate floor about the time of the start of the blackouts and climate changes, back in early May. I had been casting skepticism toward the premise of Cellers being a strictly benign presence from shortly after they started appearing among us in the mid-1990's—:::

"Mid-_80's_," Kim shot back at the radio.

:::—and there is a growing number of my very loyal constituents who hold the same views on this that I do, especially in the face of this latest onslaught—:::

"...Onslaught?" Kim repeated, still with the incredulous edge to her voice.

:::—which, as we believe, is bringing death and suffering to multitudes around the globe, caused directly by the actions of these Cellers:::

Kim now had an expression of complete disdain. "...and to think people actually cast _votes_ for this guy? There just can't be that many ignorant people in one state."

Oscar now spoke. :::As I'm sure the regular listeners of this show are aware, by this point the phone lines would be alive with incoming calls wanting to address the Senator's position, either in support or in opposition. Many times we will also have on a person on the other side of the issue, which nearly always results in pointed and often spirited debate and usually further points out the depth of the passions of the sides within that night's topic:::

"...wish the phones were working," Kim said in a low voice and looking slightly to the side of the coffee table. "I'd let this guy have some of my 'passion within the topic'..."

:::That is the very nature of this show, hence the name "Point to Counterpoint". While we are currently without the use of phones, we had made plans to have an opposing viewpoint here in the studio to address the Senator's accusations against the Celler community, even hoping to have a Celler here with us tonight...but we were met with problems with logistics and transportation. However, through the technology of short-wave radio...the very form of communication which has become the backbone of information gathering for us lately here at WNBC, we are able to bring a Celler on the air to present their views on this topic:::

Kim further riveted her attention to the small radio, to the point that she moved to slide off of the couch, sitting onto the floor between it and the coffee table.

:::I'd now like to open communication with our guest over the short-wave::: said Oscar. :::Hello, this is Oscar Mastre from the WNBC studios in New York City, are you receiving us?:::

There were a couple of seconds of fluttery static – then a female voice came over the speaker. Her tone was polite and slightly gentle, and rather tinny from being broadcast through short-wave. :::Yes, I can read you. Good evening, Oscar...Senator Conlin:::

:::Good evening...you'll have to forgive us, with the speed at which these arrangements had to be put together, there wasn't time for proper preparation, but we're glad you're able to join us this evening. You'll be able to hear us over the short-wave, so I'll ask that if there is a radio on there, that you turn it down a bit. Can you tell us your name and where you're living?:::

:::Yes::: the voice replied, :::I'd be happy to. My name is Kagome Lewis, and I'm living in a suburb of Rochester, New York:::

Kim instantly perked her head back to William. "Oo! Oo!" she exclaimed excitedly. "Kagome! She's insanely smart." She patted William's lower leg rapidly. "She'll sink this loser's ship of logic in no time."

:::It's a pleasure to have you join us this evening, Kagome::: Oscar said. :::As I understand, each Celler is a character from an animated show. Would you tell us which show you're part of?:::

:::Certainly::: said Kagome, :::I had one of the main roles in the series "Inuyasha" that ran for about the first six years after the turn of the century:::

:::And how long have you lived here with us, Kagome?:::

:::I first came to the Flesher environment in the summer of 2017:::

:::"Environment"::: repeated Oscar :::this is the term Cellers use to refer to our world as well their own. And did you come here of your own volition?:::

:::It's not so much a matter of...how much we wish to come::: Kagome replied. :::though we're all happy to be here...most Crosses are actually the result of someone's wish to meet us:::

Kim's brow began to lower in a growing frustration and suspicion. "...Why is this starting to sound less like he's interviewing her and more like she's on trial?"

:::What is it that you do here in our...environment? Do you have any hobbies? Or do you work?:::

:::Oh yes::: said Kagome :::As I said, I've been in the Flesher environment for about eight years, and married to a wonderful man for six of those years, who is part of the administrative staff at the Rochester Institute of Technology...I am the assistant manager of the produce department of the Wegmans Food Market in Rochester...on Saturday mornings, Darryl and I run a class in the public library near our house to introduce young elementary school children to computers. As far as hobbies...I like to read, and I'm a big fan of books, shows and movies dealing with lawyers, legal proceedings and courtroom drama:::

"Oh yeah," Kim said rather sarcastically, "that sooo sounds like an alien who wants to destroy the world..."

:::Thank you, Kagome::: said Oscar. :::I apologize if you feel like I'm trying to make this sound like an interrogation, but we wanted to present a bit of background for our listeners who may not have had much exposure to the Cellers among us. It sounds to me like you're living a nice life there in Rochester, and that you're an upstanding member of the community:::

:::Absolutely, Oscar::: Kagome said. :::I'm living a simply wonderful existence in a lovely, quiet neighborhood...we spend a lot of time with our neighbors and friends...time at the Food Market seems more like fun than a job...and I just can't get enough of spending the day with the children, and how full of wonder they are, not only with the things we show them with the computers, but with the fact that one of their teachers is a Celler:::

:::Okay...now that we have established who you are, we'd like to know if you have any comments on the Senator's allegations about Cellers and their possible role in what the world is currently experiencing:::

Kim took a quick look back to William with a growing smile of anticipatory satisfaction.

:::I certainly do::: Kagome said in a slightly cheerful tone, :::I'd like to say that the Senator's 'allegations' are nothing more than that...allegations::: There was a few second's pause – then her tone then became more serious. :::They're spurious, fallacious and specious at best, without the first shred of merit, and part of one of the most baseless and misdirected falsehoods I think I've ever heard:::

Kim let out a quick whoop, pumping her fist in the direction of the small radio. "Get 'im, K!"

:::Ms. Lewis::: the Senator spoke up, :::I can assure you that my "allegations", as you call them, are based in fact, backed by scientific data from experts, and have been seen and agreed to by several of my fellow Senators from all over the country:::

:::Yes::: Kagome retorted rather dryly, :::and I'm wondering how comfortably those "experts" are living now, in exchange for providing you this "scientific data"...:::

:::Trust me, nobody is "living comfortably" right now::: the Senator shot back :::I guess you haven't been outside in about the last month or so, and I can't blame you...there are terrible conditions all over the world, and even more terrible now with the rotation of our entire planet stopped:::

:::Please don't be patronizing, Senator::: Kagome said calmly. :::Between the increased heat and the power outages, I have been out every day working to preserve the stocks of produce at our market. I'm well aware of the conditions we're all under right now:::

:::Interesting that you use the word "aware", Ms. Lewis...you say you're aware of the present conditions that are causing untold suffering, but are you also aware of the things that have preceded them?::: There was but a couple of seconds of silence over the air – then the Senator continued. :::Are you aware of the conditions which were also caused by the presence of Cellers, even before the present global disasters?:::

:::I'm not clear about what you're alluding to::: said Kagome. :::There is nothing that Cellers have—:::

:::Let me educate you and the rest of the listeners::: the Senator interrupted. :::I have in my hand a report, and Oscar can confirm that I have it, a report from experts which lists the many injuries sustained by people because of their interaction with, and the very presence of Cellers in our world.::: There was a short rustling of papers over the speaker. :::Let me first point out that most of this report deals with the effects caused by something called the "Resonance Conduit"...the light which Cellers use to come into our world—:::

:::We all live on the same world, Senator::: Kagome said, :::It's just the environments that are different between Cellers and Fleshers:::

:::I'm speaking about the human world::: said the Senator :::not some fictitious "environment":::

Kim took in a long gasp at this, switching her head back and forth between William and the radio, a sudden expression of aghast abhorrence across her face. "This guy is a total-_creep!_" she growled at the radio between gritted teeth.

:::We are just as human as you are, Senator::: Kagome replied rather pointedly. :::Do you also regard those with a skin color different from yours as not being "human"?:::

:::Of course not::: the Senator returned :::and let's not try to steer away from the topic. I was pointing out the burns that many people reported from exposure to the radiation from this "Resonance Conduit" when a Celler appears:::

Kim's jaw dropped again.

:::...this is "scientific data" from your "experts"?::: Kagome shot back sarcastically – then her tone returned to the pointed heat she had been slowly brewing. :::It's a known fact that the nature of the radiation from the Resonance Conduit is no more harmful to Fleshers than a simple foot X-ray. Even if it were harmful, the presence of the open Conduit during a Cross is no more than about a minute...not long enough to cause any harm. The best-documented case of this was just a few years ago, in 2019—:::

"Ki's Cross," Kim interjected.

:::—when a Cross occurred in Pennsylvania before a large crowd. There were more than 80,000 people present at that event, Senator, and not a single person was affected by the Resonance Conduit, other than the wonder of actually being able to witness a Cross in public:::

:::Well, I think you would have to agree that those people, along with the rest of the planet, are being affected now by the Conduit—:::

:::I'm sorry...I've always been taught never to agree with what I know is a blatant falsehood, no matter how well it's presented or appears to be backed up by—:::

:::I have several cases on file of people visiting doctors with radiation burns shortly after becoming the victim of a 'Cross':::

"That's-a-_LIE!!_'' Kim suddenly blurted, nearly screaming at the radio. "No one has _ever_ been harmed by the Resonance Conduit!"

:::Shame that other lines of communication are not working::: said Kagome. :::I'd be very interested in having you send me a copy of some of these "cases" you claim to have:::

At this point the Senator's tone seemed to change to a bit more of a sarcastic shade. :::Well, Ms. Lewis, I'm sure you know that my door in Washington is always open, and that I would readily and willingly give you access to my files...but I think you and I both know what would have to take place before that could happen:::

Kagome now sounded a bit exasperated. :::Senator...your "allegations" are beginning to sound more like accusations...and, quite frankly, it's becoming a bit tedious...Oscar, you and the rest of the listeners should know that the reason Cellers are present in this environment is from the very same reasoning behind the cartoons we appeared in...to bring joy and smiles to the faces of those who know us, both from experiencing our shows, and more recently, from knowing us in person:::

Senator Conlin seemed to be unfazed by the Celler's retort as he continued. :::Oscar, I believe that you said at the beginning of the show that the reason for this show was to present political viewpoints and insight into how those of us in Washington react to and deal with events. Ms. Lewis, allow me to give both you and our listeners a little lesson in history. Have you ever read about Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, in which United States armed forces and civilians were surprised by a massive attack from the Imperial Japanese Navy?:::

:::Yes::: replied Kagome, :::it occurred a little more than 80 years ago, and was the act which brought the United States into World War II:::

:::That's correct, it occurred in December of 1941...and it was, at the time, the worst attack the U.S. had ever suffered, and many, many lives were lost, both military and civilian. It wasn't just a slap in the face, Ms. Lewis...it was a kick in the gut. America was attacked by a strong and organized force. America was hurt from that attack. America was angry from the attack. And America retaliated against it. Tell me, Ms. Lewis...in your reading of the history of this act of war, did you also read of the nature of America's retaliation?:::

There was a short moment of silence – then Kagome spoke up. :::Senator...even if you could locate— Are you going to tell me that you're contemplating dropping atomic bombs on the Celler environment...?:::

Kim broke out into a sudden giggle. "A-ha-hass if," she chuckled.

:::Nooo, Ms. Lewis::: Senator Conlin replied rather condescendingly. :::The conditions you and your kind have us all under have made air travel quite impossible...and even if it were something on the table, it would most likely take quite some time to discover the exact location that you come from...not to mention the environmental disasters from nuclear weapons that would do more harm than good. No, I'm referring to America's first response to the attack at Pearl Harbor. During your reading, did you happen to come across anything about Executive Order 9066?:::

:::I can't say as I've read about that::: said Kagome.

Kim slowly turned her head back, her gaze meeting William's with a look of cautious puzzlement. She turned back to the small radio as the Senator continued.

:::It was an order signed by President Roosevelt a couple of months after Pearl Harbor.::: the Senator said. :::After it was determined that the attack came from the Imperial Japanese Navy, it was noted that there were a large number of Japanese living within the United States for years before then...just as there have been a large number of Cellers living here among us in the years leading up to this disaster. While it stood to reason that it was nearly impossible to tell quickly which, if any of the Japanese living here might have been spies for Japan, there was a measure which could be implemented quickly and ensure that at least that facet of the threat would be addressed before any more harm could come to our country:::

Kim looked back to William again, still with the puzzled expression, but now with her mouth slightly open.

:::On Monday when I return to the Senate floor::: said the Senator, :::I plan on opening talks to enact a plan myself and several of my fellow Senators have written which closely echoes the measures taken by the order President Roosevelt decreed after the Pearl Harbor attack. It will involve several military installations around the country being used as a series of facilities to detain and, if need be, prosecute Cellers present in the United States—:::

:::...Facilities...?::: Kagome broke in. :::Senator, you're—you're talking about establishing...internment camps for Cellers?:::

:::Members of the military working in concert with the National Guard, as well as state and local law enforcement agencies, will fan out across the country, mainly on horseback, to apprehend, register, detain and interrogate Cellers—:::

The next few seconds became a mix of the two voices. :::Senator, you mentioned an act of war with your description of the attack at Pearl Harbor—:::

:::I will also be on the short-wave radio this evening after this broadcast—:::

:::I can't think of any other term that would describe the active arrest, and—:::

:::—presenting the plan to leaders of other nations where Cellers are known to be—:::

:::—imprisonment of innocent members of a peaceful and benign entity—:::

:::Of course, Oscar, no violent force would be employed in these detentions, unless it were absolutely necessary—:::

:::These actions would be crushing the rights of Cellers who are legal U.S. citizens, not to mention violating Posse Comitatus and the Insurrection Act—:::

:::—and perhaps once we have enough of _them_ behind bars, then _our_ world can begin work to reverse—:::

The increasingly heated discourse was severed by the click of the radio's volume dial. Kim's hand slowly retracted from the radio, curling into a fist of frustration as it neared her chest. She turned back to William, her face awash with disgust. She rose from the floor, turning her head back to William. Her expression was soured into a scowl of revulsion at the Senator's insinuations, with a streak of anger. "I need to cool off," she said in a low voice. She then stopped in the kitchen for one of the lamps, and turned for the hallway.

William rose from the couch, stepping after her. "Kim? Is...would there be a way that the Senator actually could...locate the Celler environment? In all the time we've known each other, I don't think you've ever even...mentioned where it is..."

Kim turned back again – this time with a bit of the anger slipped from her face. "I'll tell you," she said, her tone slightly resigned, "...but not now. I need to try to work off what I'm feeling." Her gaze fell away a bit and toward the floor. "...what I'm feeling right now...shouldn't be shared with anyone but equipment built to take it out on." She turned on the lamp and continued down the hallway and into the bedroom, closing the door behind her.

William returned to the couch, slowly settling onto the cushion, his mind also gravitating to the Senator's claims against the Celler population. _I can't think of anyone even remotely close to Cellers who could place the first shred of belief in these contrived remarks,_ he thought. _None of the Cellers who have come here would do the least harm to a single Flesher...in fact, they've all been mostly focused on the sheer wonder of just being here...the chance to interact with an entirely new realm and its inhabitants. Every Flesher who has met, talked to, lived with...even loved a Celler has had their life change...forever for the better._

Kim emerged from the bedroom in a white midriff t-shirt and blue shorts of a light silken material. Her feet were now covered with a pair of white Karate exercise shoes. "I'll be downstairs for a bit," she said as she neared the door leading to the basement and stopped, "then I hope I'll be worn out enough to sleep."

William leaned slightly toward that direction. "I hope you know that it would have to take quite a bit of imagination for many people to actually buy what that senator is shoveling," he said.

"I know, Hon," replied Kim, "but...it's just the idea...the idea that anyone would want to plant these kinds of things about Cellers in peoples' heads. The only way anything like what the Senator was saying about blaming Cellers could have the least bit of truth, is if evil Cellers were here in this environment...but...they can't get here. That was made sure of...after the last time—" She cut off suddenly, turning her head away slightly as her mind brought back the abduction which threatened to end the lives of herself and her entire family six years before. "...Even if they could...a disaster of this magnitude...would just be beyond them..." Kim now raised her head slowly. "I think this may be—" she brought up her index finger, pointing it straight upward "—of a much higher origin..."

She then turned back toward the door. She took a few seconds as she reached the door to the basement stairs, turning her head and blowing William a kiss through an attempted smile. "I'm glad most Fleshers are more like you than like him," she said, finishing the sentence by lifting a finger to point toward the radio. She then opened the door and began her descent down the stairs, bringing the door closed as she went.

William's gaze turned to the radio. _The Senator must think this is his last term in office,_ he thought. _Some politicians try bringing up preposterous legislation in their last term._ He then settled back onto the couch. _Even if he doesn't...the voters in the next election might put that thought into his mind for him..._

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

9:52 PM.  
The sparring dummy barked twice with sharp "thumps" as Kim landed a quick pair of punches to its canvas skin. Her eyes were steeled to her target as she fired a hard right at the dummy. She kept up a constant low verbiage, punctuating her speech with strikes against her inanimate quarry. "They need to put his picture in the dictionary-_twice_," she growled as she pounded the dummy with a left, "...one next to the word-_sick_—" she shifted a bit, suddenly cocking her shoulder and flashing out with another right "—and one next to-_wrong._"

Kim stopped for a moment, taking a step back from the dummy and bringing up a leg, reaching down to adjust the wide strap covering the laces of one of her sparring shoes. _Someone would have to be sick to level those claims against Cellers, _she thought. _I wonder if there's some special interest group promising to line his pockets in exchange for him saying things like that. _She gave a small tug on the strap, making sure it was secure, then brought up her arms a bit for balance as she swung her right leg out straight and upward until the shoe was nearly level with her chest.

"I think the Senator needs to remember some facts about Cellers," she said as she doubled her knee and brought her leg back, reaching around to clutch her ankle as her heel touched the back of her leg just below her buttocks. She leaned forward a bit, pulling on her ankle to continue her leg's travel, her other hand steadying herself against her knee. "Nearly all Cellers in the Flesher environment live in the U.S..." she said, releasing her ankle and letting her leg extend behind her, bringing it forward in a slow arc.

Kim now shook out her hair, rolling her neck a bit, then began to bounce slightly on the balls of her feet as she again approached the dummy. "And all the Cellers living here are-_legal _U.S.-_citizens_..." she said, landing a couple of quick right jabs to the dummy's surface, the canvas retaining depressions for a few seconds from the impacts of her taut fist. She adjusted a little, then swung up her left leg, sending a series of kicks against the side of the dummy about four feet up. "We have _all _the same _rights _as every-_other _citizen..." Kim suddenly launched into the air, spinning quickly and firing her right foot explosively into the dummy. "...including the right-to-_**vote!**_"

The force of the kick teetered the six-foot device for a second – and the inertia tipped it to fall to the floor, landing with a loud muffled "thud." Kim looked down to the toppled dummy, the remainder of her built rage outflowing through her expression, breathing heavily through her nose, her mouth drawn into a scowl, her brow low above her gaze like a storm cloud.

A voice came from the other side of the door at the top of the stairs. "Kim?"

The inquiry sapped much of Kim's anger. Her shoulders dropped a bit as she relaxed, turning her head toward the stairs. "It's okay, Honey," she called up. "I just knocked the dummy over again."

"Just checking," came the reply, the tone conveying his relief.

"I'm done for tonight anyway," said Kim. "We can bring in some more sand from the garage over the weekend." She turned to a chair near the wall for a towel draped over the back, slipping it around the back of her neck, and picking up the lamp from the cushion. She started up the stairs – then turned back for another look at the dummy lying on its side. "Note to self," she said quietly as she placed a foot on the lowest step, patting one end of the towel along her jawline. "...remember to place the Senator back upright in the morning..."

to be continued...


	6. Market Run

**6. Market Run (Falling Into Infinity)**

Saturday, June 28th, 2025  
9:14 AM.  
some milk (maybe evaporated milk)  
bread  
peanut butter  
sliced turkey  
some crackers  
any kind of non-refrigerated meat or meat spread  
assorted canned fruits and vegetables  
(especially pork 'n beans)  
canned pasta (yay, Chef!)

Kim stopped writing and looked at the notepad for a moment, using the back tip of her pen to scratch lightly on the scalp at the top of her head, just in front of the impromptu bun she had gathered the rest of her locks into. She then brought the pen down to tap the tip against her nose as she studied the pad, scanning over the list of items, trying to think of any other things that would suffice as meals without requiring heat to prepare or refrigeration to preserve. _I should clean out the fridge before I go to the store, _she thought. _Nah...if anything in the fridge has gone bad, it won't spoil much more than it is now in the hour or so I'll be—_

Kim's contemplation on the fate of the contents of the refrigerator were nudged to the back of her thoughts by something else lacking any chill – a warm tingle from the soft caress of William's lips against the base of her neck. She reacted with a light whisper of a moan, her fingers turning the pen and her fingers curling slowly around it. "Someone let me sleep in," William said in a silken whisper.

Kim brought up her other hand, softly caressing her husband's cheek and turning her head a bit in his direction. "Someone deserved it," she purred, "for putting up with all the noise I was making last night over—" she paused for a second or two, as if the words that finished her sentence might make her physically ill "—the radio and what that Senator was proposing..."

William smoothed a hand along Kim's shoulder. "No worries," he said. "I was kind of burning over that show, too. I just don't have the kind of outlet for anger that you do." He then moved to slide a chair from the next side of the table, turning it to sit at the corner of the table nearest Kim. "Makes me glad I'm not the Senator," he finished with a slight smile.

Kim returned a smile that was, at first, more sheepish, as if admitting an embarrassment. It became warmer as she rose to sit on his leg and bring her arms around him in an embrace. "Awww," she said, "even if you were a Senator, I wouldn't use Karate on you..."

"...not that I would think you ever would," William returned.

Kim pulled back a bit to meet William's eyes, still with a trace of the smile on her face. "You're right," she said. "Even Senator Conlin is safe...physically, anyway." She brought up a finger to trace along her husband's upper arm. "You know I'm not the type for revenge...the Karate isn't for playing tough or being a bully. And the words of one Senator aren't going to set me to hold a grudge, or to start hating or blaming all Fleshers for what he said."

"He _is_ just one Senator," said William, "and even if he got some other Senators to buy into his allegations, I don't think he could gather the kind of support he would need to get his legislation passed."

"True," replied Kim – then her face fell a bit. "But I think the thing that set me off the most was that he actually wants to try to pass a law like that...like there isn't enough nastiness going on all around us right now..." She then turned and reached for the notepad on the table. "On a lighter note," she smirked slightly, "look at this note. Missing anything?"

William leaned a bit, nuzzling his wife with his chin as he looked over the list for a moment. "Let's see...hmm, bread...peanut butter...yep, got me covered."

This was answered by a soft elbow and a giggle from Kim. "Silly," she grinned. "You can't live on just that."

"Maybe not," said William, "but it'll do if we don't feel like preparing anything...and it's a great snack, especially on crackers...which I notice you also have on the list."

Kim let slip another small snicker. "O-ookay...you talked me into it. I'll get two jars of peanut butter, if they have them." She looked down again at the list, thinking for a second. "In fact..." She reached for the pen on the table and drew a bracket between the first and the last item on the list, writing off to the side, "if they have it."

Kim then rose from her husband's lap, taking the list from the notepad and setting that on the table, and folding the list into her shirt pocket. She walked into the kitchen to take the small flashlight which was sitting on the counter and slip the clip onto the waistband of her jeans, patting it a couple of times.

Kim gathered three dark green cloth shopping bags up from the counter and turned to William, who had risen from his chair, and brought her arms out in a slight presentation pose. "I'm ready," she said, patting first her back pocket which held a small wallet, then the hip pocket opposite the one she had placed the list in, "complete with ID, house key and cash."

"How much did you get from the safe?" asked William. "Remember what Marcy said...'Take more than you think you'll need'."

Kim responded by smiling and touching to her pocket again. "I have $400," she said. "As small as the list is, even at inflated prices, that's got to be so way more than I'll need."

"Sounds like it," William said. He then moved closer, taking her hand. "...And you're still sure that you don't want me to go with?"

"Yes...it's just like when you went to the bank yesterday...someone needs to be here, to watch after the house, and in case anyone we know stops by." Kim then canted her head slightly, closing one eye. "...You still think I'm not over the effects of the light thingy on Wednesday...don't you..."

William's shoulders slipped ever so slightly in guilt of his wife's accusation. Kim patted his hand. "Sweetie...I've told you several times, I'm just fine now, especially since the light is gone and after that long sleep." A bit of a playful smirk crossed her face. "...Ask the dummy downstairs if I'm weak at all."

Now William had to adopt a smile of acquiescence. "You win," he grinned. "Charge dropped. Ooo, speaking of the dummy...we forgot to get sand from the garage for it. Shall we do that before you go?"

Kim grinned widely. "Done and done," she said. "Early this morning." She then made a motion toward the front door, beginning to walk in that direction, still holding William's hand, bringing him along in tow. "Now, no more stalling," she said. "The sooner I go, the sooner I can get back." As they reached the foyer, they stopped, Kim turning to take her husband's other hand, giving them both a single slight shake, looking into his eyes. "I know you worry sometimes," she said. "I worry, too. And right now, we both have reason to worry...but I worry that sometimes...it's almost as if you're trying to worry for both of us at once." Her smile now widened a little. "I remember what you said about how people are right now...they're a little more nervous, with everything that's happening..." she then brought up one of his hands, turning it, clasping it in hers and bringing the back of his hand to her chest. "...and what you have to remember is that your wife knows a little about self-defense...and can handle herself, should things get a little weird..."

William curled his fingers warmly around Kim's hand and smiled a bit. Even after 22 years with this woman, her caress still held the same warmth as the first time they touched the morning after they met on that chilly December evening. "I know you can take care of yourself," he said, "and I believe you when you say that you feel alright again...but there's one thing that I want you to keep in the back of your mind...with everybody else being more nervous...that might mean that the police are just that much more nervous—" he stopped himself and gave her hand an extra slight squeeze "—I...I guess I'm trying to say...just take a little extra care."

Kim took her husband's words to heart, knowing it was his love for her that was fueling them. "I promise...if I start feeling the slightest bit weak, I'll turn right around and come home. I'll take that extra care of myself," she smiled, "and then when I get back, you can take care of me."

This brought a slight chuckle from William. He then leaned to share a kiss. "See if they have any kind of snacks," he said. "I think we deserve a little treat."

"As long as you're here when I get back, I already have my treat," grinned Kim, "but I'll see what they have left." They then moved together for a hug. It was a hug which may have lasted a few seconds longer than either intended; but each of them held to the feeling in the backs of their minds that any contact – even a relatively short embrace – meant a little more during this troubled time.

Their parting from the hug seemed almost as if the opposite of the hug itself. They separated rather quickly, with Kim moving to open the front door as if she were late to be somewhere. "Bye Hon," she waved as she pushed open the screen door, William placing a hand to catch it as it closed. "See you in just a bit."

William watched Kim take a few cautious steps onto the porch, the stiff breeze buffeting her shirt. She looked around the yard for a few seconds – then reached for the flashlight at her waist, bringing it up and turning it on, pointing it to the driveway as she began walking in that direction. _Still not the least bit lighter,_ thought William as he glanced into the still pre-dawned sky. _Heck, it's not even any different than yesterday when I went to the bank...never mind three days ago._ He looked down again to the street. Kim was now little more than a silhouette in the dark, partially contrasted against the beam of the flashlight she swept along the street in front of her as she walked to the east toward the street leading to the Market Square and the corner market there.

William's gaze returned to the sky as Kim disappeared behind a row of tall hedges a few houses down the street. _This has to be all of it,_ he thought as he backed a step away from the outside door, reaching for the inside door and closing it slowly, keeping his hand against it after pushing it closed. _There can't be anything coming more serious than this. Another blow or disaster might be more of a shock than the system can stand. It would probably be the end of the human race as we know it._

_If this isn't already the start of that end._

William crossed the room and settled slowly onto the couch, staring at the small radio but not turning it on, as if he were keeping his hearing clear for any sound from outside, other than the insistent slight brush of the wind against the windows. _I don't know how the Resonance Conduit could affect the entire planet,_ he thought. _Even when a Cross was performed outside to bring Ki back, it was still a local event. Even if this disaster was caused by the actions of the Conduit, it couldn't have been intentional, like the Senator from New York was saying. I don't think any Celler who could have an effect on the nature of the Conduit would even think about bringing this much suffering, much less wish this kind of horror on us...or them._

He then reclined on the couch, resting one arm across his midsection and slowly closing his eyes as his head rested on the back of the couch. _Just bring food and come home, Kim._

_Even if you don't get any food...just bring yourself home safe._

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

9:32 AM.  
5000 block N. 20th St.  
Kim stopped at the corner and placed a hand on the lamppost there. _I've gone two blocks,_ she thought as she switched off the flashlight for a moment. _So far, so good._ She looked to her right, to the long sloping hill leading to Brookings Market Square, remarking on how different the scene looked without the semi-sharp illumination of the LED cell street lights lining the streets. _Just a few more blocks to the Market Square...then to see if there is any real food left at the corner market._

Kim took a few steps out into the intersection, glancing down a couple of the streets for a second before her thought overrode her instinct. _Not as if I have to watch out for cars,_ she chuckled inwardly. She then turned her gaze upward to the sky between the trees, sweeping her fingers along her face as the wind brushed a wisp of her bangs across her forehead. _No stars,_ she thought. _There's no...anything. Maybe it's just overcast...only...it doesn't __**look **__overcast. The sky is almost like it was when that light came over...but, barely any light now. Good thing. If that light was still in the sky, it would have to be Himself going to the store instead of me. It's sure a lot cooler though. Can't be much more than about 70 now. Why couldn't it have been like this when_—

The last of this thought stopped Kim cold in the middle of the street, closing her eyes as if to block out the rest of it. _Stop now, Kim. Wishing won't change anything that's already happened, no matter how much you wish for it._

Kim remained in the middle of the street as she began the walk down the incline toward the Market Square, looking once again into the sky. _If that light had been lower, maybe a good rain would have washed it out. But that wouldn't have had anything to do with the earth's rotation stopping. Maybe it would have washed whatever it was, down all over us. No, Kim, a little temporary weakness among Cellers would still have been better than the possibility of losing even more lives all over the world_—

Kim stopped again, her eyes searching along with her mind for anything that would derail her present train of thought. She looked into the sky again, reaching to still her hair in the wind. _'Even more', _she thought. _Don't jinx yourself. It doesn't look like this is going away anytime soon._

Kim then looked down to her feet for a second – then lifted one slightly, thumping the heel of her running shoe twice against the concrete of the street. "Go go, Gadget Earth," she said under her breath – then stood in place for a few more seconds, as if she were waiting for the planet to heed her command and commence its rotation. Without another word, she switched on the flashlight and lifted her eyes again to the south, resuming her trek in the direction of the Market Square.

9:41 AM.  
Kim had progressed a couple of blocks, watching house after dark house for any activity that might indicate how other households were coping with the present conditions of ever-present pre-dawn. _Okay...not liking this,_ she thought as she walked at a steady but slightly slower pace. _It's almost like the rest of the neighborhood is...deserted. No, __**everybody **__can't be gone. Think positive, Kimmie. Maybe some people have gone back to the flip hours, and they're sleeping right now. _This brought her to once again scan at about treetop level. _Not like you can tell which is day or night anymore, unless you have a calendar watch or keep very close track of_—

Kim froze in her tracks as the beam of a flashlight suddenly danced over her from between two houses.

"Kim!" a small voice shot out from the darkness. Kim squinted against the light of the beam for a second until it dropped to about her waist. She was able to make out a pair of rather smallish shapes advancing from between the houses, which she coupled with the voice to guess it was a couple of small girls.

She brought up a hand to shield some of the light as she turned more toward the approaching children. "H-hi?" she offered. "...kind of hard to see out here..."

There was the quick sound of a slight slap and the flashlight jumped a bit. "Told you she couldn't see with that light in her eyes," a second voice uttered quietly.

The flashlight beam quickly swung away from Kim and onto the faces of the two young girls, about 11 years of age, both with dishwater-blonde hair and wearing t-shirts and jeans. They walked to the edge of their yard and stopped, some 12 feet from Kim's location in the middle of the street, as if they weren't allowed to venture beyond that point. "Sorry," said the first one. "It's Katy and Sandy."

A smile of recognition perked onto Kim's face. "Oh yeah! From the Girl Scout bake sale back in March."

"I remember you went crazy for the Thin Mints," the second girl, Katy, said. "You bought two boxes...and a whole plate of cinnamon lemon squares."

"Yeah," added Sandy. "That was back before the weather and everything else went crazy..."

"Yeah..." echoed Kim, a bit dejectedly; then the smile popped back onto her face. "It's good to see that you're still okay, though." She then began a slow look along the street, scanning the seemingly lifeless houses next to the one they were standing in front of. "Is...is everyone else...gone?"

"Some are," said Katy. "They started leaving after the thing in the sky on Wednesday." She then motioned toward the next intersection to the south. "A couple of families at the end of the block are still here—" her hand swung to across the street "—and the Jensens are still here...but they're still on the upside-down time...and us and our Mom...we're still here."

"She didn't think the power would be off this long," Sandy said, "so we stayed. She wanted to keep us on the upside-down time, and sleep during the day. But with all the power out and the Sun not rising or anything, and no clocks, it's hard to tell what's day and what's—"

"Sandy...Katy...come inside, please."

The voice brought the three's attention to the darkened front doorway of the girls' house containing the dusky outline of their mother, her hand holding the outside door open enough to call through.

Sandy turned her head back toward the house. "In a sec, Mom," she said. "We're talking with—"

The voice interrupted her explanation. "I said come inside _now,_ please."

"That's our Mom," Katy started. "She's been kinda weird like this ever since last night. She said something about a show on the radio, and some guy talking about how things that are—"

"Sandy! Katy! _Now!_" The voice this time was more forceful, impatient, and mixed with a bit of what seemed to Kim to be desperation.

"You'd...you'd better go," said Kim. "She doesn't sound happy."

Sandy began in the direction of the house, tugging at her sister's shirt. "...C'mon, Katy," she said. She turned her head back in Kim's direction. "See you later, Kim," she said. "Stay safe."

Kim lifted a hand to the two girls as they began to run toward the house. "Bye," she said softly. "You too." She watched as the girls reached the house and entered. She brought up her flashlight, switching it on and turned again in the direction of the Market Square. As she started to move down the street, she heard the voices inside the house. Just as the lack of light seemed to lend to the complete quiet of the neighborhood, the lack of any other activity seemed to further enhance Kim's hearing to the sounds from inside the house:

"Didn't you hear me the first time?"

"Yeah...but we were—"

"When I tell you to come inside, you are to come inside _right-then._"

"We were talking to—"

"I know who you were talking to..."

"She was at the bake sale in March. It's Kim Possi—"

"Remember what I told you the man said on the radio last night? You're supposed to be _in_side when one of _them_ is _out_side. Remember what he said they've already done? You don't know what they might do if you get too close..."

At the word _them,_ Kim reached across her body for her upper arm, as if as if she suddenly felt cold. _List of Things to Fix. _Her eyes fell to the ground near her feet as she picked up her pace a little. _I don't care if we have to move to New York just to register in his district,_ she thought. _Come next voting cycle, that Senator is __**so**_ _toast._

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

9:56 AM.  
Kim felt a small wave of relief as she stepped onto the cobblestone streets of the northern edge of Brookings Market Square. A few people were milling about the shoppes contained in the first floors of the older buildings, the entire area considered to have been the actual heart of downtown Eastgate at some point in the distant history of the city. A couple of the shoppes even appeared to be open, one with a person sweeping the steps leading to the door while another stood at the top of the stairs, shining a flashlight down to show the path of the broom. _Good to see not everyone is leaving,_ thought Kim. _It's almost like some people are trying to make things seem at least a little normal...even though what we're living through is the furthest from. Mr. Doom-and-Gloom Senator needs to meet these kind of people. _Kim raised a hand and waved it in greeting as she passed. Neither the man sweeping the steps nor his younger helper with the flashlight offered any greeting in return other than to look up at her for a short moment, then return to their task. No words were exchanged during this, and the lack of ambient light kept Kim from being able to read anything in the expressions of the two men less than 20 feet from her. _Maybe they can't recognize me in this light, _she thought, _or must not be in much mood to talk_. She continued on along the street, not giving much more thought to the encounter.

Kim came to the end of the block and turned east onto a cross street, moving over a block to 21st Street – a part of Brookings Market Square that both Kim and William held a special place in their hearts for. It was on this street that the progression of events took place on that first week in December so many years ago, leading up to the night when Angelica's Gift walked out of the furious chaotic display from William's mirror – and into his life from that moment on.

A smile slid onto Kim's face as she turned onto this block. Even in the near-darkness she was able to make out the placard over the Bound Dreams bookstore, even though she couldn't see the winged and tied unicorn adorning it; and across the street, the large, currently-unlit neon "VS" over the Versa-Style clothing store – the "V" in the shape of a check-mark, and the "S" over the left side of that to form a variation of a dollar sign. Kim had to chuckle inside. _I know Ki really enjoys college...but I'll bet she misses not living near here. Between her and Frannie, they almost kept these two places in business by themselves through their teen years, buying all those clothes and computer games and software. Teen years_? she corrected herself as she continued down the block. _Last summer break, we had to have gone through nearly $2000 with all the new clothes, books and computer programs. Maybe she'll get that job at the school store with Monique. That should teach her a little about saving. Maybe by next summer she'll have a few coins in her pocket, and will offer to pay for her fashion herself_—

_Ha ha ha, Kim. Don't grow your daughter up any faster than she is on her own. She's already a young adult in college. Sometimes it seems like just a few months instead of 16 years ago that she wanted you to teach her Karate – now she's probably only about two years away from possibly getting married to her weapons instructor._

_And if Zach knows a good thing when he sees it, he'll say yes when she asks him._

Kim progressed further down the street, looking among the buildings she passed. Most of these were closed, some with boards over their doors and windows, as if the owners had no idea when they would reopen. Kim uttered a small gasp as she passed the store where she and William had bought most of their electronics. The large window of the store had been almost completely broken out of its aluminum frame, and the display just inside looked ravaged, sections broken as if people had been climbing over it to get in and out of the store. A few wires were hanging over one of the exposed supports of the display, and a couple of small devices lay on the floor. _How much sense does it make to loot stuff that has no power to run? _Kim thought. _Well, on the other hand...maybe it shows that some people are doing it in the hope that all this that's going on won't be permanent...if only they could come up with some hope that wasn't so destructive and illegal._

Kim now approached the portion of the street between the two shoppes that, to her, most represented the identity of Brookings Market Square. She began to angle a bit to the west side of the street as she neared the front of Versa-Style, noticing Miss Kris, the store owner, and her young daughter sitting on the front steps. "Hi Miss Kris," Kim offered cheerfully, holding up her cloth shopping bags in a wave.

Immediately upon recognizing Kim in the semi-darkness, even more confirmed by her voice, the woman began to urge the young girl to her feet, pulling on her shirt. "Go inside, Daisy," she said quickly in a slightly hushed voice.

"...Mommy?" the girl quizzed. "It's just Kim."

"I said get inside!" the woman repeated, now pushing the child through the entryway of the store. "Do as I say!" She followed the girl into the store, continuing to steal looks back into the street to Kim as she went, ending with closing the door rather forcefully and locking it.

The rather deliberate loud click of the deadbolt punctuating the sudden strange behavior left Kim puzzled. This was a woman who Kim and her family had a longtime good relationship with through the years, ever since the first time she visited the store shortly after returning from their honeymoon – a relationship that was completely counter to what had just transpired.

Kim looked at the closed door for a few seconds, still unable to make head nor tail of the reasoning behind the hurried, almost frightened retreat of the woman. She slowly turned away from the store, her mind comparing this behavior with the earlier incident in her neighborhood with the two young Girl Scouts and their mother, and the two men in the shoppe up the street.

Kim then turned to the bookstore across the street, noticing the proprietor of that store straightening up the stoop. She approached a bit more cautiously as the man was re-righting a potted plant which had been overturned, sliding it to the side, then turning to reach for a broom that had been leaning against the railing of the stoop and starting to sweep potting soil from the concrete landing. "Shawn? Do...do you know what's going on with Miss Kris?"

The dark-haired man, in his early 40's, paused for a second or two but didn't look up from his task. "She's pretty upset," he said, brushing soil from the edge of the stoop near the doorway. "I would have thought that if anyone would know, it would be you...and those like you."

This caught Kim off guard – especially the last, which seemed to be in the form of a sort of accusation. "I...I'm not sure I understand," she stammered.

"It was on the radio...last night."

Kim was still puzzled. "William and I have been trying to go back to more...normal hours...since Wednesday," she said. "We were sleeping last night."

The man continued to sweep. "Kris's brother was on assignment at the National Guard armory in Flagstaff."

This registered on Kim's memory, as Kris talked often about her brother in the National Guard. "...Derek?"

"Yeah," Shawn replied, still with an air of insinuation. "Derek was at the base on Thursday morning, at the time of the attack."

Kim's eyes widened a bit in surprise. "A—attack?" she stuttered. "On a National Guard base?"

Now, for the first time during the conversation, Shawn stopped sweeping and turned to look directly at Kim. "2nd Lieutenant Derek Mickleson," he said in a low voice, as if he thought Kim would already know this. "He was the Guardsman killed in the attack on the base...killed by you people."

Kim didn't know which stung more; learning that Kris's brother had been killed – or the implicating phrase "you people". _A Flesher...killed by a Celler???_ She searched quickly for a response through her thoughts, but Shawn's next statement held any of her further words at bay. "He managed to take one of them with him," he said, turning back to begin sweeping again, "and he wounded two others pretty badly." These were his last words to her as he continued cleaning up, but the tone of his voice seemed now to almost convey a mood of pride he felt over Cellers becoming casualties in the attack.

Kim also reserved any further conversation, moving slowly from the man on the stoop and backing into the street, her disbelieving eyes still in Shawn's general direction as she attempted to process what she had just been told – and the manner in which she was told. _Something has to be off here, _she thought as she slowly looked away and once again began to progress down the street. _Cellers here just don't act that way. It has to have something to do with that light event on Wednesday...but...it didn't make me feel like fighting...it certainly didn't make me feel like killing anybody. If it actually was Cellers, why in the world would they choose to attack a military installation??_

Kim reached to smooth her hand along her upper arm as she walked. _None of this morning is making any sense. Maybe the low light is a good thing right now...nobody can see the goose bumps on my arms. Good thing I didn't wear shorts...they could see them on my legs, too._

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

Brookings Corner Market  
2102 Eastgate Drive  
10:16 AM.  
Kim came to the southernmost block of Brookings Market Square – the last before Eastgate Drive. The northern half of the block held a building much like the rest in the Market Square; a four-story brickstone, much like an apartment building, the first floor containing shopfronts with large windows. The only aspect of the Square that hadn't changed with the loss of global electric power was the lack of traffic, as no vehicles were allowed on these streets, save for the occasional delivery truck.

Kim now approached the building occupying the southern half of the block. The cozy grocery had been the linchpin of the neighborhoods surrounding it for a number of decades, providing delicious food at low prices, sometimes almost amazingly low when there were sales. The store also had a strong reputation for some of the best-tasting seafood in the region, possible because Bob, the owner, had a brother who ran a fishing operation off the coast of New Jersey, and made frequent visits delivering fresh catch.

As Kim rounded the corner to the front of the grocery, she noticed a few people near the entrance. She didn't get but a few steps toward the entrance before they noticed her as well; one nudged another and made a motion in her direction. Others turned to look as Kim approached. A couple of the people made a slow motion to move away from the entrance, Kim not able to determine if they were doing so to give more room or make a bit of distance from her. She put on a smile as she neared the entrance. "Morning."

One person half-uttered a response in kind through a straight face. "Morning...Kim." Another merely nodded in her direction, giving the barest hint of a coerced smile in return as she stepped onto the low stoop leading into the grocery and to the open doorway. _It's...it's almost like they're...afraid of me, _she thought. _Just how many people heard that show full of lies last night??_

_...!#% Senator._

The inside of the store was a scene Kim had never seen before, but half-expected, given the current conditions. The store was basically in a gutted state. Where before row after row of products once crowded for exposure, empty shelves were now prominent; the canned vegetable aisle, once home for case after case of corn, peas and beans, now only offered a scattering of cans. The bread aisle had also been ravaged by customers looking to stock their homes. Kim made her first choice here, opening one of her cloth bags and picking two loaves of white sandwich bread from the shelf.

Kim now turned toward the back of the store, where frozen items usually were. On the way, she found some peanut butter. Though it was not the brand they usually got, it was the only brand available. _Something is better than nothing, _she thought, placing two jars into her bag. She looked down the aisles for a second before realizing that low-level lights were lining the aisles from overhead about every five or six feet. Kim then noticed a sound – a constant hum. _Must be the generator to run the lights._ _Wait...electric lights??_

Kim then heard another sound, behind the hum – the steady drone of a small engine.

She was startled when a boy came from the back room of the store carrying a box, setting it on the floor near the coolers. Kim turned around quickly at the sound to a boy in his late teens, tall with a tousled head of wavy blond hair. "Oh!" Kim let out suddenly at the appearance of the boy. "Hi Eric," she returned, attempting a smile. "You scared me."

Eric straighted from the box. "Oh...sorry, Kim," he said, grinning. "Didn't mean to scare you...but that box is kind of heavy." He dusted off his hands. "It's good to see you. How are you and Mr. Hodge doing during all this?"

"We're...okay," said Kim, reaching for a box of saltines and placing it into the bag with the bread. "We're getting by...as well as can be expected, I guess."

Eric nodded with a slight smile of affirmation, then motioned toward the shelves. "Are you finding everything you're wanting? Sorry that there's not much right now..."

Kim smiled in response, reaching into her pocket for her list. "It's okay...I didn't bring a big list."

"If you don't find everything," replied Eric, "you might want to check back on Thursday next week. We have a shipment coming in."

Kim was rather surprised to hear this. "Shipment? But...how...?"

Eric now smiled. "Bob," he said rather proudly of his employer. "He's been busy since all this started. He's made a bunch of calls on short-wave radio and found someone his brother knows near Philadelphia. They have a horse and wagon. They're going to bring up a bunch of stuff from warehouses down there. They might have been here next Tuesday...but they had to get together a couple of guys who will ride with as guards."

"Good ol' Bob," Kim grinned. "He's always been pretty resourceful." Kim now motioned to the lighting above the shelves. "Speaking of...is that how you have electric lights on?"

Eric now also looked at the lights. "Not quite electric," he said. "Bob wired them to work off of a couple of car batteries we have in the back. We charge them up on the generator and keep switching them out. Two batteries will keep all these lit for about four hours."

Kim smiled up to the lights. "Neat." She turned back to the boy. "Now...about finding things...do you have any evaporated milk left?"

Eric pointed about two aisles over. "I think we have about a case left...with more coming in next week. Is it for food and stuff, or for drinking?"

"A...a little of both, I guess..."

Eric smiled widely, turning behind him to one of the coolers and reaching in. "Well, for drinking, I think real milk would be tastier." He brought out a half-gallon container, handing it to Kim.

Kim grinned wide. "Sweet...! You still have milk. Ooh!" she jumped as she grabbed the handle of the jug. "That's _cold!_"

"Yeah," said Eric, chuckling a little. "We're trying to store it close to being frozen, so it will keep a while longer."

"Wait," Kim said, raising an eyebrow. "Frozen—you have ice??"

Eric smiled again. "Yeah."

Kim tipped a finger toward the back of the store. "That's the sound I'm hearing from the back...?"

"Yep," Eric replied. "Bob worked on the icemaker for about four hours yesterday to wire it up to run off the generator." He then motioned to the milk in Kim's hand. "The only thing about that...is the price. With things the way they are now, we're not really sure when, or even if we're going to get more milk...and Bob wanted to price things so that people couldn't come in and buy it all up to hoard it..."

Kim eyed the container, hefting it slightly. "How much...?"

Eric almost seemed ashamed to say it. "That's...$30."

Kim jumped a bit in response, as just a week ago, the same half-gallon of milk was around $3 – but she understood the logic behind the sudden steep increase. She nodded slightly. "Yeah," she said softly. "With things the way they are now, I...guess that's fair..."

Eric turned back to the box he had placed on the floor, pulling out a plastic bag full of ice. "Let me put this in here," he said as he opened the cooler, "then I can help you find the rest of the stuff you need." He then reached into the box for another bag.

"Thanks," Kim offered cheerfully. "I'll get some of that evaporated milk while you're doing that." She turned for the end of the aisle, turning toward the shelves. _Two cans,_ she thought as she rounded the aisle. _No...better make it three..._

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

10:45 AM.  
The two now approached the counter near the front of the store with the three shopping bags full of food; Eric carrying two of the bags, and Kim the third. "So Kimi is still up at the college?" asked Eric as he set the bags on one end of the counter and reached back to turn on a battery-operated light over the register, spreading soft light over the counter. "Have you heard anything since the stuff started happening outside?"

Kim placed the other bag on the counter next to the first two. "Not a word," she said, shaking her head slowly. "Last thing I heard from her was about two weeks before Wednesday. They had been having trouble with the computers on the campus from the blackouts. Nobody could get any email out."

"Well, I can't imagine it would be much different there than it is here," he said as he began to pull items from one of the bags, writing them onto a pad next to the register. "She's probably doing about the same as you guys...like you said, 'getting by as well as can be expected'."

"Yeah," said Kim, placing the box of saltines onto the counter as Eric started emptying the third bag. "It must just be my maternal instincts talking, but I'd feel better if she was here right now."

"She would have been here to help you carry some of this," Eric said, passing his finger over the groceries. "If you want to, you can leave one of the bags here. I can keep it in the back until you come back for it."

"Nah," Kim declined. "The only really heavy one was the one with all the cans." Her eyes perked a little. "I know – distribute some of the cans between all three bags. That'll even out the load."

"I'll put the bread in the top of this one, so it won't get smashed." said Eric.

Kim responded with a nod and a smile as Eric began to refill the bags, taking care to line the bottom of one bag evenly with cans and then placing the bread and saltines on top. After he had the bags arranged, he turned to the list of items he had written on the pad and opened a notebook, referencing each item from the pad and writing a price next to it.

As Eric brought a hand-held calculator from a drawer and began to tally up the total of her bill, Kim's gaze swept to the nearly-barren shelves to the right of the counter. _I've never seen Bob's shelves this empty, _she thought. _If it were under any other conditions, it would look like a Going-Out-of-Business sale._

Kim's next thought brought her eyes back to the counter just in front of her. _But then, I've never seen the entire planet stop its rotation, either. Maybe it's the Earth that's going out of business._

"_Final Days. Everything Must Go."_

"...Kim?"

Eric's gentle call pulled Kim enough from her thoughts to notice he had totaled up the list and had slid it slightly in her direction on the counter. "Here it is," he said, again sounding a bit shamed at presenting numbers this high. "The total is...$348."

_$348, _thought Kim as she reached into her pocket. _For barely $40 worth of groceries. Bob needs some sort of security for the store, so he doesn't end up like the stores up the_—

"I'm sorry, Kim...it's cash only right now..."

Kim's train of thought had distracted her into her automatic response for transactions. She looked down at the electronic cash card she now held in front of her. "I—I'm sorry," she said a bit sheepishly, retracting the card and slipping it back into her wallet. "I wasn't thinking...no electricity." She replaced her wallet into her back pocket and reached into her front pocket. "Of course it's cash..." She brought the money from her pocket, unfolding the bills and slipping six $50 bills, two $20's and a $10 from it. Eric took the bills and opened a drawer under the register with a key from his pocket, separating the bills and placing them into small boxes dividing the drawer. He then reached into another of the boxes, pulling out two $1 bills and motioning them to Kim. "No," she said, "that's okay."

Eric smiled at the gesture, replacing the money into the box and shutting the drawer, locking it and slipping the key back into his pants pocket. He then scrawled a signature across the bottom of the list and tore it from the pad, presenting it to Kim. As she folded the list into one of the bags, he took the sheet of carbon paper from the list, folded the copy beneath it to the back of the pad and slid the carbon under the next sheet.

Kim caught sight of an envelope with a slip of paper folded into it at the side of the register, wedged between it and a small display of key rings. She read the front of the envelope - "Homeless". "What's this for?"

Eric picked up the envelope. "It's a small fund that Bob has started," he said. "With the price of things the way they are, he knew that there are some people who might need help getting food. People donate to it, and we donate food to people who can't afford it. We charge the food against the money in the envelope."

Like an infant's first encounter with a guitar, the depth of Bob's magnanimous nature plucked at Kim's heart strings. Her expression spread into a warm smile as she tipped her remaining $10 and two $20's toward the envelope. "Please...I'd love to help out..."

Eric's face also lit as he widened the top of the envelope. "That's very generous of you...thank you," he said, taking the money from Kim and straightening it, slipping it into the front of the envelope amongst the existing array of bills. "Bob will thank you, too."

"Glad I can help," Kim replied, smiling widely. "With everything else that's happened this week, any bright spot is more than welcome." Her gaze now slipped again to the shelves. "Just this store being open is a bright spot. Have you seen some of the stores up the street?"

"Yeah..." said Eric. "Pretty torn up. That's why Bob and I have been staying here the past couple of days. Bob is sleeping upstairs, and I sleep down here, toward the back of the store...me—" he reached to his waist and moved his apron aside until he was showing Kim the rear half of a handgun tucked into the waist of his jeans "—and my 'peacekeeper'..."

Kim recoiled a bit in a visible wince at sight of the weapon. _So much for security as an issue..._

"Bob has a shotgun in the back, too. He said he wouldn't be surprised if things started going the way of the Old West."

_Sooo not an issue._

"We had a couple of kids trying to steal some small stuff yesterday," Eric added. "I caught them before they got out the door, and we started shouting until Bob came out of the back with the shotgun. The kids just froze. They emptied their pockets and nearly ran over themselves trying to get out of the store."

Kim began to gather her bags, testing the weight of each to determine which would go in which hand. "Thanks for the groceries," she said, "and thanks for the milk...it's neat that Bob got the icemaker to work with the generator."

Eric nodded with a smile, still holding the donation envelope. "And thanks to you too, Kim," he said. "This will make Bob smile, knowing that people can still be generous in a time like this." He then motioned to the bags. "The offer still stands," he said. "I can keep one of the bags in the back, if three are too heavy..."

Kim smiled at the offer, but declined. "Nah...I can handle these. My Karate keeps me in shape," she said, hefting one of the bags from the counter, "and I do a little weightlifting, to keep my tone."

Eric gave a nod of confidence to Kim as she brought the rest of the bags from the counter, her right hand clutching the loop handles of two of the bags. "Thanks for telling me about the shipment next Thursday," she said. "I'll have to come by if I think of other things we need."

"Yeah," Eric replied. "With the icemaker running, maybe Bob can get some other stuff here that wouldn't keep without some refrigeration."

Kim turned for the door, lifting the bag in her left hand as a sort of wave. "Bye," she smiled, "and thanks again."

Eric watched her exit the store, turning slightly as she went through the doorway with the bags. _That's someone who is sincerely a nice person,_ he thought. He then turned back to the register, sliding the envelope back under the key ring display. _And someone who has a very hot daughter._ He patted the envelope once, and slipped the $10 and one of the $20's he had removed from it into his pocket.

10:56 AM.  
Kim shifted her hold on two of the bags slightly and gave a tiny exhale as she stepped off the stoop of the grocery store onto the sidewalk. _I can just bet that Himself will enjoy some peanut butter and crackers with yummy frosty milk, _she thought. _He'll be surprised that there's any milk at all._ She started off to the west in the direction of the corner. _Look Baby, we got fresh milk. Drink up while it's cold—_

She stopped as a man stepped away from leaning against the corner of the grocery to stand directly in front of her. He was tall and a bit thin, appearing to be in his mid-40's, with stringy long blond hair gathered back into a ponytail. He was dressed in a tattered pair of dingy white painter's overalls with one of the shoulder straps unfastened, covering a medium blue long-sleeve shirt, and high-top hiking boots. His clothes seemed to be coordinated with his face, both suggesting that neither had been washed in some time.

The man's eyes never left Kim as she looked up at him, and even in the low light, she could make out his expression, which seemed from the beginning to convey the air of confrontational defiance featuring a bit of a smirkish grin. From the time he pushed off of the building, his right hand was positioned deep in the pocket running along the leg of his overalls.

Kim noticed the man's face first, then a glance to the position of his right hand. _No,_ she thought, _that's not a weapon. Why would he have a weapon? I can't remember ever seeing this guy before._ She put on a pleasant smile, giving the man the benefit of the doubt. "Hi," she offered.

His return was flat, but more matter-of-fact than indifferent. "Hi."

Kim kept her smile, making an adjustment to her left. "Excuse me," she said softly.

"Sure," the man replied in the same flat tone, but moving to his right to mimic Kim's motion, still blocking her progress.

Kim exhaled a small polite chuckle, widening her smile for a second, again giving the benefit of the doubt. "Sorry," she grinned, shifting back to her right.

The man again moved with Kim, shuffling to remain directly in her path. "Uh-huh," he muttered, his hand still buried in his right pocket.

_Okay, _Kim thought, _I don't know what game this guy has in mind, but I don't think I'm in the mood to play it._ "Thanks for the dance," she quipped, trying to make light, lifting her bags slightly to show, "but I really must get these groceries home..."

At this, the man's expression seemed to melt into one of compliant acquiescence. "Oh!" he perked. He dipped his head slightly as his smile widened into more warmth. "I'm sorry," he said, stepping to Kim's right, sweeping his left hand across his body and to his right to indicate the cleared path. "I didn't mean to keep you from the rest of your life for more than just a moment..." He continued smiling as Kim began past him.

She kept her eyes on his as she walked by slowly. _Hope that's over...whatever it was—_

She was stopped again by another man who had stepped away from the building, close to where the first man was leaning. He was a bit shorter than the first man and substantially heavier, well over 200 pounds by Kims estimation. He had a close crewcut of dark hair – and the same type of almost sarcastic grin.

Kim looked up to the heavier man, who was dressed in jeans and a dingy t-shirt which almost seemed to be becoming part of him, held to his skin by the mix of dirt and sweat. A pungent odor of months without bathing almost slapped Kim in the nose as he stood before her, blocking her as the first man had.

"But then, how long is a moment," the thin man said from behind her, "compared to three years..."

Kim made a slight turn to move around the large man, which caused him to bring up his arm, blocking that direction as well. "Where'ya goin'?" he asked in a low, slightly menacing voice.

"Do you know what it's like to have your life put on hold for three years?" the thin man said.

Kim remained in place, her eyes locked on those of the heavy man before her, and her nerves ratcheted up a notch. _Keep sharp, Kim...this could get serious._

"Hey, _**toon!**_ I asked you a question."

The sharply growled epithet bristled Kim into full alert. Her fists tightened on the handles of her bags as she turned to face the first man, his hand still in his pocket, but his face now conveying the anger in his voice. "Can you imagine what it's like not to be able to live your life for three years?" he repeated, "And then for years after that, because you can't get a job...because you have a record?"

_I don't get it,_ thought Kim. _Why is this guy telling me about his prison record when I don't even know—_

"Do you know what it's like to have your life ruined...by a _**toon??**_" the man barked again. "To be beat up by some toon _bitch_ who thinks she knows Karate?"

_This is nuts, _Kim thought as the man tightened his right arm, moving deeper into his pocket. _This guy's going to go off on me because he thinks—_

Kim's thoughts were cut as she was roughly grabbed by the large man behind her, his fists clamping tight around her arms just above her elbows and jerking backward. The sudden move caused her to let go of the bags, the milk and a few of the cans skittering from one of the bags as it fell over. Kim struggled to break the man's grip, but his hands were strong, holding fast and drawing her arms further behind her. The strong odor of the man also seemed to work against her, assaulting her nose and tightening the gag reflex in the back of her throat.

The thin man now began to slide his arm from his pocket, struggling for a second. "Keep a good hold on her, Troy."

_Keep a good hold...Troy?_ The name raced Kim's thoughts. _Where have I—_

The thought suddenly threw Kim's mind back to the parking lot of the Civic Center on the night of the company Halloween party nearly 22 years ago, when she engaged this same pair after they had attacked Marcy while still in the costume of her likeness.

_No—way...! ...Brian Fenwood!? The kid who got fired after he harassed me during my first day at Meridian?_

Brian now brought his hand from his pocket to reveal a carpenter's straight-claw framing hammer. He raised it a bit as he began toward Kim, his voice rising with growling rage, "Let me show you what it's like to have your life totally ruined—"

_battle stations Kim!!_

"—just like you God-damn toons are ruining this whole-_planet!_"

Kim brought the heel of her right shoe down hard on the top of Troy's foot just in front of his ankle, causing him to yelp. Kim felt his grip loosen as he bent forward slightly, one of his hands moving to reach for his foot.

_That's right—_

She quickly tightened her fist and threw her left arm forward, bursting it free of his other hand, then thrust it back, driving her elbow deep into the large man's stomach – and, continuing the inertia of the move to circle about, landed a hard right uppercut against his jaw. The force of the swing threw Troy from his feet, landing on his back some six feet away.

Brian flew into rage at the sudden defense, rushing forward, raising the hammer. "NO!!"

Kim heard a split second of a woman screaming about 20 feet away before her right shoulder exploded in pain as the head of the hammer struck just below the upper ridge of her shoulder blade. She dropped to a crouch as she cried out, partly to take herself out of immediate range of another blow and partly in reaction to the pain. She turned her head back to see Brian take a step toward her, again raising the hammer to swing at her. She reacted by quickly rolling to her back, throwing her legs out to catch his left leg and turning to sweep it from under him. As he fell to one knee, one foot lashed out to kick the hammer from his grip, sending it tumbling along the sidewalk. As he turned to watch the trajectory of his weapon, Kim threw her other foot hard against the side of the blond's head, sending him to the sidewalk and landing on the container of milk, spattering it into the street.

Kim sprang to her feet facing the thin assailant on the ground, reaching across her body to rub where she had been struck with the hammer while rolling that arm to check motion. _At least nothing's broken. A few inches higher and my shoulder would be toast._

She ignored the pain and straightened into a fight stance as Brian struggled to his feet, wringing out his hands and looking over his milk-soaked shirt, a scowl twisting his face back into anger as he recovered. "Don't be a fool, Brian," warned Kim. "You don't want to do this." She motioned her hand toward the sky. "Cellers didn't cause all this. There's no way that—Ahh!"

While Kim had addressed the attack by Brian and his hammer, she had miscalculated the Hammer of Troy.

260 pounds of bull inertia crashed into Kim from behind as Troy tackled her, carrying the two of them across the sidewalk and into the street. The left side of Kim's face slammed against the cobblestones, driven by the large man's beefy hand. She huffed out a sharp groan as Troy landed hard onto her back, pinning her to the street and placing a hand around the back of her neck to keep her head against the bricks, the other holding one of her arms twisted against her back.

Brian, satisfied that his accomplice had immobilized their prey, turned to retrieve his hammer. As he picked it up from the sidewalk, one of the people who had seen the incident unfold began to advance toward Brian. He immediately jumped in the direction of the man, raising the hammer menacingly. "Get back unless you want some of this, too!" he spat. The man who was starting in his direction stopped at the threat of also being hit with the weapon, raising his hands slightly and backing away a step.

Brian turned to walk back toward the two on the ground as Kim tried to struggle a bit against the heavy weight pressing her to the street. "See?" he said, walking to stand a couple of feet behind Kim's anchored head, which she strained to try to look back to him. "Everywhere you go, a fight breaks out. It's no wonder that the whole world is upside down and sideways, with you here. It's just like the guy on the radio said last night...you're nothing but trouble...you and your whole kind." Brian then motioned to the groceries strewn along the sidewalk. "You probably even stole those groceries from poor Bob," he said. "An old man just trying to make a living and you _toons_ just waltz in and steal from him like you own the place!"

_Grrrr._

"I paid for every bit of those groceries!" Kim strained out. "Let me up and I'll show you! I even still have—

Kim's sentence stopped in mid-stream and slid into the bricks she was pressed against as she remembered the last of her cash was now in the donation envelope inside the grocery.

Brian now crouched until his face was close to Kim's ear. "No...you're not getting up," he said in a low voice dripping with derision. "You're not getting up for a-loooong time...and this time, there's nobody to save you...not even that little tattletale bitch Tina—" he stopped with a gasp of mock epiphany, looking up for a second at the few people standing some 20 feet away, then back down to Kim "—ohhh, that's riiight," he continued in a faux sympathetic tone. "She's no longer with us...she was killed by the same thing that's killing people around the world now..." He stopped again – Kim suddenly recoiled from a sudden sharp tap from the head of the hammer on the back of her head. "That's right," growled Brian, giving Kim another deliberately painful thump on the head, "she was murdered by what toons have done." Another sharp tap, bringing a tear to roll over Kim's growing mixed expression of pain and anger. "Your friend...was killed by _toons_."

Inside, Kim was a rising storm of malevolence and spite at Brian making mention of her recently-deceased friend, and the insinuation about the cause behind her untimely demise. _If I get out from under Fat Boy, I'm making you eat that hammer, you son-of-a_—

"See...you're a problem," said Brian, rising to stand and moving slowly back a half-step, tapping the side of the hammer against the palm of his hand. "You've been a problem to me ever since the night you put me and Troy in jail...after you attacked us—"

"Y-you were attacking my-best friend," Kim grunted.

"She looked just like you," Brian shot back. "That attack was meant for you...it's what you deserved for getting me fired from my first real job." He moved back to Kim. "Like I said...you're a problem...and what human beings do when they have a problem...is solve it." Brian then leaned down close again, his face just inches from Kim's ear. "...how's it feel to know," he said in a gruff whisper, "that you're going to be in unbearable pain for the rest of your life...which is only gonna last about another 30 seconds..." He finished his speech by patting the exposed side of Kim's face a few times—

"Say hi to Tina for me..."

_Dear God,_ Kim's mind raced with panic. _With everything else that I've been through in the past month, this is how it ends? Getting my skull caved in by a street reject with a hammer!??_

Brian now rose to his feet again, towering over the helpless girl on the street. "The fight back begins here and now," he announced to those gathered nearby. Kim began to struggle, trying to kick against Troy's lower back as Brian spun the hammer to bring the claw forward and raised it high above his head, his voice raising in volume with it.

"_This_ is for all the humans who have been murdered by _TOONS!!!_—"

Brian froze in place and the rest of the assemblage jumped as the tension-charged air was split by two loud bangs to their left. Their eyes quickly turned to a rather stocky man in the street about 25 feet away, aiming a semi-automatic pistol in the air. "Put it down," he commanded in a quick voice. Brian remained in his pose, hammer still above his head, poised to strike Kim. "Put it down and step away," the man barked again, lowering his pistol toward Brian, his voice and his arms tight with conviction, both hands tight around the grips of the weapon.

Kim's memory perked at the commands from behind her. _I know that voice...Officer Miller?_

The man advanced a few steps toward Brian, shifting his gun a bit to the right to point at Troy. "You...get up...get off her," he said in a stern tone.

Troy began to comply with the threat from the man, releasing the hold on Kim's neck. The moment it was free, she turned her head to relieve the pressure on her fresh wound and to look to the man, now about 15 feet away. While she recognized him as Randy Miller, a local policeman she and William had known for years while on his beat in the Market Square area, she noticed that he was not in uniform, but rather in jeans and an orange t-shirt, his badge hanging around his neck on a chain.

Brian began to turn to the officer, still sneering but now filling with disbelief. "Who-the-hell do you—?" he started.

Randy quickly switched his aim back to Brian. "I said put it down!" he hollered. "Do it now or the next one's yours..."

Brian now noticed the badge around the man's neck. "Just helping you do your job, Officer," he explained, trying to put on a smile and tipping the hammer back to point in Kim's direction. "This toon was stealing groceries, and we were just...dispensing a little justice...that's all."

"...receipt's...in the bag," Kim managed.

"They attacked her when she came out of the store," a woman in the small crowd said. "I saw the whole thing."

The officer now spoke in an even more deliberate tone, his frustration with the two hoodlums' noncompliance surfacing. "Put-down the hammer, 'Mister Justice'...or the only one that'll beat you to the hospital will be the guy carrying the front of the stretcher you'll be on..."

Troy had by now risen to his feet and had backed a couple of steps from Kim, who remained on the street, rolling slowly to her left side, bringing her right hand up against the wound on her face where she had struck the cobblestone, and her other hand across her front, rubbing her right shoulder slowly.

Randy took a quick look to study Kim's motion, trying to gauge the extent of her injuries – then brought his attention back to the pair standing near her, again leveling his pistol at Brian. "Last time I'm telling you..."

Brian attempted to hold his defiant stance against the command to disarm. "You ain't nothin'," he said. "I could take you...you wouldn't be nothin' without that weapon..."

"Hell, you've got a weapon, and you're _still_ nothing," Randy returned, "now, put-it-_down!_"

Brian stood for a few seconds before responding to the officer's ultimatum, his hand slowly lowering. He suddenly turned, flinging his arm out to hurl the hammer in Randy's direction. "Eat it, _PIG!!_" he shouted as he broke into a run toward the corner of the grocery, slapping Troy on the arm as he raced past. "Run, dude!"

Randy put up his left arm to deflect the hammer as the pair disappeared around the corner of the grocery. He brought up his gun again in that direction and gave a second's thought to giving chase – but now certain that the situation had been defused, he instead set the safety on his weapon and slipped in into the holster on the side of his chest as the scene quickly changed.

Randy quickly walked to Kim as two people crossed the street to move toward the sidewalk, picking up various cans and placing them back into one of the bags. The woman who had spoke earlier came from across the street, arriving at Kim's side the same time as Randy. "I'm a nurse," she said to him as the two knelt to the sidewalk, where Kim had moved to a sitting position on the curb, still favoring her shoulder and holding a hand to her face. "Thank God you showed up," the woman said. "They were going to kill her...she did nothing to antagonize them."

"I was a block over," Randy said. "Someone came and told me there was a fight outside the grocer's." He then turned to Kim. "How are you?" he asked, leaning slightly to look at the left side of her face. "Are you hurt anywhere else?"

Kim turned her head slowly to her savior at the inquiry. "Hi, Randy," she said in a slightly meek voice, which gave the officer a preliminary idea of the level of her pain. "Mm—my-face hurts," she said, placing a hand at each injury. "...and my shoulder...Troy had grabbed me...I turned around to hit him...and Brian hit me with the hammer..."

Randy was rather surprised at Kim's mention of specific names. "Wait, you know those two by name?"

"From years ago," said Kim. "Brian had applied at Meridian...we started on the same day...but he didn't last long. Even back then, he was confrontational...but I hadn't seen him but once after that...until today..."

Teresa, the woman who had come over to help, took a look at the wound on Kim's face for a second, then turned to Randy. "Do you have a flashlight?"

Randy began to reach for the long flashlight on his belt, but Kim presented the flashlight from her hip. Randy gave a nod as Teresa took the small light, turning it on and training it along Kim's cheek as she retreated her hand for a moment. The light revealed a large abrasion from her cheekbone to her jawline where she had been pounded onto the cobblestone, dotted with a few thin trails of blood. "This is going to be a big bruise," she said, pressing lightly against a couple of points on Kim's face. "Doesn't seem to be any fractures." She then moved to Kim's side, smoothing her hand along the top and back of Kim's shoulder, pinching lightly in two locations, both times bringing a pained wince from her sudden patient. "I don't feel any breaks here, either...might be sore for a while, though."

The two who had picked up the spilled groceries now brought the bags near Kim. "Here," said one of them, setting his bag down. He then pointed back to the liquid that had splashed over the street."We couldn't save the milk, though,"

Kim nodded slowly, understanding. "It's okay," she said. "I think Brian landed on it during the fight." She then gave a small smile. "Thank you for picking up the rest..."

Randy looked up to also thank Kim's helpers. The man nodded once in return, then started back across the street with the other person who had gathered the groceries. Randy then looked back to Kim. "Do you feel well enough to stand?" he asked. "Think you're up to try getting home?"

Teresa looked at the trio of grocery bags, then to Randy. "I don't know that she should be carrying anything heavy with that shoulder wound..."

"She'll have help," Randy said. "I'll be walking her home. Those two are still out there somewhere, and I wouldn't want her going through these dark streets alone in the shape she's in." Randy then rose to stand at Kim's left, extending a hand down to her.

"Thanks," Kim smiled as the officer brought her to her feet.

"See if you have some kind of ointment at home to put on your shoulder," said Teresa. "If it's still this sore after about a week, you'll want to try getting to a doctor or the hospital."

"We have a doctor living near us," said Kim, turning slightly to pick up one of the bags. "I'll have him look at me in the next few days."

Eric now emerged from the grocery, turning to close and lock the front door of the store before descending the stoop and walking toward the three with a paper bag curled under his arm. "Kim, are you alright?" he asked. "I heard you got...roughed—wow," he finished as he caught sight of the wound on Kim's face.

"It's not bad," she replied. "Just a couple of bruises..."

Eric brought up the bag he had brought out of the store. "This is to replace the milk you lost."

Kim faltered for a second at the offer. "No," she began. "...We'll get by until you get some more in..."

"Please," insisted Eric. "You paid for it...and it isn't right that you should do without because you were attacked."

Kim hesitatingly put down the bag she was carrying, took the paper bag in her left arm and peered into it. "There are two half-gallons in here," she said softly. "I only bought one..."

"Yes...and then you made a big donation to the homeless fund," Eric replied. "Both of those are paid for."

Kim couldn't resist the generosity of the clerk, her face sporting a grateful smile. "Thanks," she said after a few seconds. She turned to place the milk into the bag that had held her original purchase of the liquid.

"The police will catch up with those creeps," said Eric, turning to Randy for a second and getting a nod from the officer in response. "I have to go back and mind the store...you take care of yourself."

Kim nodded as Eric turned back toward the grocery, bringing a key from his pocket. As he started along the walk, Randy also started in that direction. "Be right back," he said back to Kim, then caught up to the clerk. "Eric...talk to you for a sec?" The two talked quietly on the stoop at the entrance of the store as Eric unlocked the door – then both entered the building.

Kim picked up the bag again, hefting it a bit in her left hand to test the weight and setting it down. Teresa brought up the flashlight and took another look at the wound on her face, now beginning to turn a bit more red, and showing some tinges of a light purple. "Do you have an antibiotic at home?"

Kim thought for a second. "I...I think so..."

"If you don't, you can put some petroleum over it," said Teresa. "But keep it uncovered...don't put any bandage on it. It will heal faster if it can breathe."

Kim nodded as Teresa turned off the flashlight and handed to back to her. She was slipping the light back onto the waist of her jeans when Randy returned from the grocery carrying a paper bag. "Okay, now we're ready to go." Kim looked at the bag which was rolled closed. "Eric gave you a bit of ice for your shoulder," Randy said. "It won't keep too long, but it'll be good for a day or so of relief."

Kim's face spread into a smile at the continued generosity. "I'll have to get some money back down here next week for that..."

"Eric said it was on the house," said Randy, adjusting the bag into one hand and reaching for Kim's remaining bags of groceries with the other, "now let's get you home so you can start using it."

Teresa placed a hand on Kim's good shoulder. "Take care," she said. "I'm sorry that you got attacked...but I'm glad that you weren't hurt worse than you are. Those guys were just wrong. I don't think Cellers had anything to do with all the wacky stuff going on."

"We'll pick 'em up," Randy said. "After I get Kim home, I'll see if I can track them down."

As she again took up her bag, Kim thought again about the caliber of the young employee and his level of help to her, both before and after the assault. _Bob sure knows how to pick good people._ She then joined Randy as they turned in the direction of the corner and started the walk to the Mason Park neighborhood.

11:38 AM.  
The two entered the last block near the top of the long incline from the Market Square to Mason Parkview Drive, Randy carrying two bags of groceries and the bag of ice from the store, Kim with the third bag. She had kept her right arm at her side, her fingers tucked into her right front pocket in an effort to immobilize her aching shoulder.

During the trip, Randy had kept up conversation in an attempt to distract her from the pain of her injuries. "So that's not the first fight you've had with those two?"

"No, it's not," replied Kim, "and I wish this one had turned out like the first two. Like I said before, Brian has been confrontational from the first day I met him...he was trying to tease me in the training class...then confronted me on our first break after the trainer called him on it. He couldn't even make it through his first day of work because of his issues with Cellers."

Randy didn't have much response other than to shake his head, somewhat from pity toward the blond-haired assailant.

"I didn't see him again until the night of the company Halloween party," said Kim.

"That's the one they have in the Civic Center every year?"

"Yep...that year, Marcy wanted to have a little fun, so she dressed up like me, with the help of some latex add-ons. Brian and Troy jumped her in the parking lot, thinking she was me...they got one shot in on her before I got there...I probably could have gotten there quicker than I did, but I was about five months pregnant with Kimi at the time..."

Randy was a bit surprised at this. "Pregnant...and fighting...?"

"One of my closest friends was being attacked because they thought she was me," Kim said. "It wouldn't have happened to her otherwise...and by the time Security would have gotten there, it could have ended up a lot worse than it did. I didn't feel I had a choice at the time. If it wasn't for knowing Karate, I don't think I would have rushed in like that...but I was only a Red Belt back then."

"I know you're way above that now, though..."

"Yeah...fourth-degree Black Belt."

"I remember you're registered with the state," said Randy, "and you're a licensed instructor...even though you don't give any lessons."

"No...well, not other than Ki, anyway. That's the main reason I took the instructor exams, was to make sure that what she learned was certified, so she could advance in rank if she wanted to."

"How far is she now?"

Kim grew the best proud-mother smile she could under her present condition. "She became a Black Belt a couple of years ago, just before she graduated high school, and she's almost ready to begin training for the test for her second belt." Her expression then lessened quite a bit. "We probably were going to start that over her Summer break...before everything went crazy..."

"So she was up at college when all this started...she still up there?"

"As far as I know...I haven't gotten any word..."

"My little brother went to Penn State," Randy said. "It's a good place." He then sported a bit of a reassuring grin. "Have faith...if she's still up there, she's being kept safe through this."

Kim gave a small nod. "I know...but I think I would feel more at ease if she were here...I know I would feel a little safer, too."

"Yeah," replied Randy, "that incident might have turned out quite a bit different...but don't worry, we'll pick up those clowns before too long."

The two now turned onto the driveway to Kim's house and onto the front porch. Randy held the outer door open as Kim set her bag down, reaching into her left front pocket for her key. She slipped it back into her pocket after unlocking and opening the door, and reached for her bag.

Randy pushed the inside door open for Kim to enter the foyer. He could hear a hint of pain in her voice mixed with a bit of relief at being home again. "William?" she called.

"Down here," came through the open basement door, accompanied by footsteps on the stairs. "I was changing the batteries in a couple of the lamps. Did they have all the—"

William reached the doorway at the top of the stairs and froze for an instant at the scene of his injured wife. One of the lamps dropped to the floor as he quickly moved to cross the room, placing the other lamp on the coffee table, its light further featuring Kim's facial wound, his voice already charged with concern. "...Kim? Kim??"

"She ran into some trouble," said Randy.

Kim put her bag to the floor and slightly turned her head to hide her injury from direct light as William took her hand. "No big," she fibbed in a low voice. "It's just some bruises..."

"Someone came and got me," Randy said. "I got there before it could get any worse."

"How...how many were there...?" asked William, moving to place his arm around Kim's shoulders to support her.

She reacted by twisting to her left at the touch of his hand to her wounded shoulder. "No...no no..." she said in a pained wince, her hand still tucked into her pocket.

"There was a nurse there to look at her," said Randy, placing his two grocery bags next to the first. "She said she doesn't have any broken bones, but she needs some ointment on that shoulder. There were two of them. One of them got in a shot with a hammer."

"H...hammer...?" stammered William. His touch immediately became more tender, moving instead to her waist and guiding her toward the couch.

Kim became more compliant to the adjustment, moving with her husband to sit. "At least I got a shot in on both of them," she said.

"Where's your freezer?" asked Randy, hefting the bag in his right hand. "The grocery gave some ice for her shoulder..."

"We have a deep freeze in the garage," Kim said, slowly withdrawing her hand from her pocket and gently extending her arm to test her motion. "It's still pretty cold."

"I'll show you where that is," said William, rising from the couch. With a nod from Randy, the two men started for the kitchen and the door leading to the garage, William taking a lamp from the kitchen table on the way.

Kim slowly reclined back onto the couch in an attempt to relax. She quickly sat forward a bit, recoiling from the pain as the back of her injured shoulder settled against the back cushion of the couch. "Nooo, that's not happening," she grunted. She shifted a bit, moving more to her left side, leaning to the arm of the couch and bringing her right arm to rest across her lap. _Oh yeah...that hurts._ She brought her left hand across and up to lightly rub over the top edge of her shoulder, just at the border of the pain. _Guess it beats having your head cracked open like a coconut. _She then brought her hand back to touch over her wounded face. _Troy almost got that done when he landed on me. How did he get up so quick, after that right I gave him?? He's a big boy...maybe it should have been a foot instead of a fist...but I had Hammer Boy behind me...I couldn't even get turned around before he hit me._

_Am I getting...slow...?_

Kim looked up to manage a small smile to William as he came from the kitchen, picking up the lamp from the floor and entering the door to the basement. _Don't talk yourself into being older than you are, Kim. You're a Celler, after all. Age isn't an issue. You have a full plate with everything else that's going on...it's easy to get distracted. _

William returned from the basement. "I'll just be another moment, Hon," he said, moving again into the kitchen, the soft glow from the lamp in his hand lighting the way.

Kim turned back to the arm of the couch, relieving a little pressure from her sore shoulder. _Even in the Flesher environment, Cellers don't age very fast, _she thought.

_...then why do I feel so old right now?_

_Because two losers came within seconds of taking my life...and I couldn't do enough to stop them. That's why. Because it's been too long since I've had to put any of my Karate into practice. That's why. I haven't done much but exercise to keep up my tone since Ki went off to college. If Randy hadn't shown up when he did, I would have been pounded into the street like a—_

Kim smothered her thoughts of what might have been as William and Randy came from the kitchen. Randy stopped as they crossed in front of the couch, taking another look at Kim's face. "To justify the shiner you're going to have, those guys should have gotten off a lot worse than they did," he said. "I'll be looking for them on the way back to the Market...I'll let you know when we catch up to them."

"Thanks," Kim nodded, "and thanks for getting there when you did."

"Wish I would have gotten there before you got roughed up," said Randy. "Someone said you didn't do anything to set them off. You didn't deserve what they did."

Kim's response was in a lower voice, her tone barely veneering her feelings. "Yeah...it's better that you find them first..."

William turned to the officer, shaking his hand. "Thanks for everything."

"Absolutely," returned Randy. "You let me know if you need anything else. I'll keep you up on the hunt for the two who attacked Kim...at least from now on, you might not have to worry as much."

Kim raised an eyebrow, not quite understanding the officer's last statement as the two men turned for the door. She turned to him as he came from the foyer into the living room, crossing around the coffee table to sit on the couch. "How are you," he asked softly.

"Could be better," she answered, her eyes falling a bit in embarrassment, "but I could be a lot worse...Randy came just in time..."

"He said he wished he would have been there before anything happened," said William, taking Kim's left hand. "I know I wish that," he continued, leaning to tenderly kiss her uninjured right cheek, "and I'll bet you do, too...but I'm glad you got home."

Kim looked down again. "I should have gotten home completely okay," she said. "I should have been faster...I should have been on guard when I left the store..."

She was stopped by William's finger on her lips. "Bad enough that you got beaten up...beating yourself up won't make anything right or better." This was followed by a smile and another kiss before he made motion to stand. "I'll sort out the groceries...then let's get something on your injuries."

Kim started to rise with William. "I can help," she offered.

"Not today, Mrs. Hodge," protested William. "As of right now, you have the rest of the day off."

Kim looked up to her husband as he headed for the kitchen – then she rose, taking the lamp from the coffee table. "While you're putting that away, I'll find the petroleum the nurse said I should put on my face." A nod from William, and she started off for the bathroom.

Upon entering the room, Kim opened the medicine cabinet, bringing up the lamp to light it. She located the familiar squat jar with the indigo label and set it on the counter next to the sink. She closed the door – and froze as the mirror revealed her first look at the wound to her face. Even in the short time since the attack, the reddened areas at her jaw and cheekbone had begun to expand toward each other across the small network of parallel scratches over her skin, each highlighted with a thin coat of her blood. "Ugh..." Kim uttered, repulsed by the damage to her appearance. She brought up her other hand, checking a couple of places near the outside corner of her left eye. "...Bar code much, Kim?"

She then opened the cabinet again, taking out a bottle of hydrogen peroxide. She set that on the counter and turned on the water, reaching for a washcloth from the rack to her right and running it under the water for a moment, noting that the pressure from the faucet was significantly diminished. She brought up the cloth after wringing it, dabbing lightly at the lesions on her cheek.

_Ow?_

Kim opened the bottle of hydrogen peroxide, holding it as she reached into a drawer on the left of the counter, pulled a cotton ball out of a small bag, and brought it to the open mouth of the bottle while she tipped it. She then set the bottle on the counter and brought the lamp up to her face as she tenderly daubed over her facial wounds. _I should have been faster,_ she thought, patting a bit heavier as if to admonish herself. _I should have turned around the second I decked Deadweight Boy. Brian shouldn't have laid a finger on me. The punch took the Anchor out long enough that I should have been able to take care of Brian. My senses should have been more on alert._

Kim set down the lamp and repeated the process with another cotton ball, dampening it with the peroxide. She brought up the lamp again as she traced over the scratches that streaked her jawline. _Not 'should' – you __**didn't**_ _move faster, Kim. You __**didn't **__turn around after you dropped Fat Boy. Brian __**did**_ _hit you – __**hard. **__You __**didn't **__take care of Brian at that time. You weren't on your game, even after the warnings the conversation with Eric should have given you. What you __**should **__be doing is still thanking Randy. If it hadn't been for him, you'd be a smudge in the street right now, smashed like a bug._

Kim twisted the cap onto the bottle as the peroxide did its work to disinfect her abrasions. _It's not about 'should' anymore,_ she thought as she flipped the lid from the jar of petroleum jelly and dipped her first two fingers into the thick, waxy substance. _I __**will **__be more on guard the next time I leave the house. I __**will **__act faster if I think an attack is coming._

She then brought her fingers lightly to her face, slowly spreading the jelly in a thin coat over her cheek. _My face __**will **__heal without scars._

Kim dipped her fingers again, bringing another dollop of the petroleum to her jawline, dotting lightly at first, then smoothing over to fill in the film. _I may not be the vengeful type,_ she thought, _but if I meet up with those two before the police catch up to them...Brian will have a shiny carpenter's suppository...and Troy the Tackle Boy will have a new necklace with two round fuzzy pendants on it._

She ran the water again, washing the jelly from her fingers, then turned to reach with her left arm for a towel from the rack to the right of the sink. She left the restroom carrying the lamp, walking down the hallway toward the kitchen. "You'll notice I got peanut butter," she said. "It's not the brand we usually get, but it was all they—"

Kim froze as she rounded the doorway to the dining room and saw the kitchen table, and the items now on it. "W—William?" she stammered, "where did— why are there...guns...on the table...?"

William closed the cupboard he was straightening up and crossed the kitchen. "Those...are for us," he said. "Randy and I were talking about your attack, and how we should have some sort of protection...and, he was willing to sell these to us."

Kim slowly recoiled a step from the table as William picked up one of the items from the table. "But you...you know how I feel about guns...I won't use one under any circumstances."

"I do know," replied William, raising his hand in a slight presentation motion, "that's why this one is for you." He slowly drew the weapon from its formed leather holster. "Its not a gun," he said with the barest hint of a smile, "...it's a taser." He motioned his hand forward slightly, holding the pistol-appearing weapon sideways. "Randy said it's like the one Ki brought home from college last summer. You hold down the trigger to supply the charge."

Kim set her lamp on the corner of the table, eyeing the weapon for a few seconds. _Sure __**looks **__like a gun...but this is non-lethal, while still having a fair amount of stopping power._ She slowly brought up her left hand to the grip of the taser, bringing it upright while her mind replayed the incident in the Market Square, and how it might have turned out if she had been armed with this.

William turned back to the table, picking up the large-frame semi-automatic that Randy had left him. "Randy even threw in a couple of extra clips for the gun," he said, "and we also have extra barbs for the taser."

Kim continued looking over the taser, noting the series of yellow stripes along the middle third of the top sides. She theorized that it might be to further differentiate its appearance from that of a true firearm. "How...how much did all this cost...?" she asked cautiously.

William hesitated for a few seconds as he placed the pistol back onto the table, looking up to his wife. "In...in times like this...security has a bit of a hefty price..." His gaze then returned to the table. "All this was....$15,000—" his eyes raised again to Kim "...but the peace of mind, to me, is worth more."

Kim jumped a bit at what she thought was an obscenely inflated price for the items – but the circumstances surrounding the transaction, coupled with the last of her husband's words and accented by the now-constant pain in her right shoulder – shed a new light in Kim's mind on the concept of the presence of such weapons in their house. She affirmed his statement with a slow nod, raising her brows slightly in acceptance and resignation. She lowered the taser to the table and brought up the lamp to show a bit of a pleading smile. "...you were going to put something on my shoulder...? There's ointment in the medicine cabinet..." A nod from William started the two in the direction of the hallway.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

12:56 PM.  
Stopping at the doorway of the bathroom for a quick kiss, Kim continued to the bedroom while William retrieved the tube of ointment from the cabinet. She slowly worked her now-aching right arm through the sleeve of her t-shirt, stopping at several points to endure a fresh twinge of pain before continuing. She then slipped the head through the collar of the shirt, letting it rest off her left shoulder. Her next task was to slide the strap of her bra from her sore shoulder, again encountering pain as she slowly raised it to slide her arm through the strap. She reached her left hand across her body to lightly rub over the area where she was struck, which expectedly seemed to be more sore than directly after the attack.

Kim now cradled her right arm against her body as she moved to the bed, sliding a pillow toward the center and slowly lowering herself to the bedspread, taking extra time to position her right arm at her side before finally settling onto the bed with a sigh of relief as the right side of her face contacted the soft fabric of the pillow.

William entered the bedroom a moment later, carrying the tube of ointment, a small hand towel, one of the lamps, and the radio. He sat on the edge of the bed and turned to face the head, placing the ointment in his lap and reaching to set the lamp and radio on the nightstand. He then turned back to the bed for a good look at his wife's injury. While the blow from the hammer didn't penetrate Kim's skin, the impact left a deep red mark, almost like a good-sized scrape. The region around the mark was also red, but to a lesser degree. William then reached to turn on the radio, and glanced to the wound on Kim's face as he leaned back to the bed. _What manner of animal is capable of this kind of violence against an innocent person?_

"...bad, huh," a soft voice came from the pillow. "I'll take a look in the mirror later."

"Well, it could have been a lot worse," William replied, flipping the cap on the tube of ointment and squeezing a bit into his palm, the room filling with the strong aroma of mentholatum, "considering what you were attacked with...and it could have been much more than your shoulder injured by the hammer."

"Yeah," sighed Kim. "I need to really thank Randy for showing up when he did." She then gave a slight giggle. "I'd bake him a cake...if I had anything to bake with..." Kim flinched a bit as her husband applied the ointment to her shoulder wound. "Oohh," she said through clenched teeth, "no fingers...I can't take any small pressure like that...just use your palm." She relaxed a bit as William complied, smoothing the ointment over her skin with the flat of his palm. "I can't believe it went down like that," continued Kim in a low incredulous tone. "I...I can't believe I actually got...beat up...they totally caught me off guard. Well I promise...even without the taser...the next time I tangle with those two, it'll turn out way different..."

The last of Kim's words trailed off into just above a whisper. She adjusted slightly, and William continued his gentle massage with a fresh application of the ointment as their attention slowly shifted to the feed from the radio.

:::Good afternoon, this is Michael Addlemayer. The time is 1 PM, Eastern Daylight Time on Saturday, June 28, which translates into roughly 50 hours since the first reports that our planet was without rotation. There has been absolutely no change in the orientation of the Sun since that time...which means that parts of the Earth that were cooling, are cooling further...and the parts which were heating are further going in that direction as well. Scientists around the world have been working feverishly with the reduced resources available to them to try to find an explanation as well as any possible solution to the current atmospheric events, as well as the worldwide loss of electrical power, which started with the brilliant light display that occurred in the bottom of the Grand Canyon in the early hours on Wednesday, and the intense red glow emanating from that location since the time that the light event, which is now believed to have begun from there, died down on Wednesday evening. Since the appearance of the glow, any attempts at measurement or analysis with hand-held instruments have resulted in the instruments being destroyed from the inside, either by radiation or other energy within the immediate area of the glow.:::

:::While scientific answers for the present crisis have proved elusive, a few members of the political realm believe they have come up with one theory. Spearheaded by New York Senator Raymond Conlin—:::

At mention of the Senator's name, Kim gave a small gasp through her teeth, shuddering a bit under William's touch.

:::—who on this station last evening announced that he was preparing to present a plan next week before Congress which would directly implicate the 'Cellers' of our population as being the force behind the recent disasters, both in weather and power disruption. Also during his interview, Conlin said that he had planned on short-wave conversations with leaders of other countries explaining his theories. We have been receiving reports that the Senator has been true to his word, working late into the night communicating with several countries in Europe. Interception of these transmissions has apparently brought pockets of strong public reaction in some of those countries, against both the Senator and his theories, and against those he accuses of the rash of disasters. In reaction to death threats received since his series of short-wave conversations, Conlin has been sequestered into protective custody, at his request. In other parts of the world, the reaction to the intercepted broadcasts has turned violent, with a report of one Celler being beaten to death by a street gang in downtown Milan, Italy in front of hundreds of onlookers...and a public stoning has resulted in the death of another Celler in the south of —:::

"...turn it off," Kim moaned against the pillow, barely audible. "Please...turn it off..." She remained motionless as William wiped a hand in the towel and reached to turn off the radio, then settled back onto the bed, reaching again for the towel and further wringing his hands into it to clear them of the ointment. "I think I feel like a little nap," mumbled Kim.

"...Sure, Hon," replied William.

"But can you bring me two things first...? Take some of that ice and put it into a plastic bag...then wrap a towel around it? That, and some aspirin and water."

William smoothed his fingertips through the hair at the back of Kim's head. "Absolutely," he said, rising from the bed, picking up the tube of ointment and the towel and placing them on the nightstand. "Back in a minute."

"Thank you," Kim said softly. "Love you."

"Love you, Hon," William said, looking down at his wife for a moment before turning toward the door.

Kim let out a long slow exhale as she tried to melt further into the pillow. _Cellers being killed in the streets without reason or justification, _she thought. _And I nearly became part of that statistic. Things just can't get any worse than this. That Senator has no idea...with everything else that's gone wrong, and is going wrong, his twisted misconceptions aren't going to do the first thing to help any of it. It's just not possible for Cellers to have this kind of effect on the whole planet._

Kim lay in place on the bed for another moment – then her internal conversation turned toward another audience. _Hi. I don't talk to You very much...nowhere near as much as I probably should, I know...and I don't ask that much of You...I know You've probably got Your hands pretty full right now...but...I feel I...need to ask of You now...because with everything else that's coming apart...I don't think I know where else to turn..._

_Please...help people to see the truth._

_Please...help people to help other people do the right thing, and focus on what is in front of them now, instead of lashing out because of what wrong people have told them._

_And please..._

_Please..._

_Please, God...help my daughter find a safe way to get home through the Hell that is outside right now._

to be continued...


	7. Lux Lucis ex Obscurum

Kim had decided to take the balance of the weekend to remain in a state of reduced physical activity in an effort to help the healing of her injuries, assisted by William, who continued to apply the mentholatum ointment on her shoulder about every 6 hours, coupled with fresh towel-wrapped ice packs for her face and pain medication when she requested it. William also kept the two of them fed, choosing for lunch to revisit one of his favorite quirk meals from his mid-teens – uncooked pork and beans on bread. Whenever William had the radio on, he would make sure to be in another room, so as to insulate his wife from any more negative impact from reports on the continuing global crisis. Toward evening, Carrie visited from next door after hearing from a friend about the incident in the market. She came bearing food warmed on their wood stove in her gesture to assist in Kim's convalescence.

The time equivalent of early Sunday morning brought Marcy to the Hodge house, after word reached her of Kim's assault. She came to the door wearing a light jacket, as by this length of time with no Sun overhead, the temperature had slid into the upper-sixties. Marcy was aware of the underhanded conniving of the two hoodlums, remembering even years after the attack against her in the parking lot of the Civic Center – but she was shocked by the extent of Kim's injuries from the Saturday morning fight in front of the grocery, with the site of the hammer blow now having graduated to a prominent purplish bruise which covered nearly the entire area of her shoulder blade. She immediately lent her assistance, helping William prepare a delicious breakfast of foods she had brought to make a fruit salad of pineapple and mangoes, mixed with some _cotija _cheese, and even offering to apply some of the mentholatum ointment to Kim's shoulder before the meal.

Feeling up to more mobility, Kim suggested they move to the living room, where Marcy devised a makeshift sling from a pillowcase for which Kim was immediately grateful and more comfortable. On the living room couch, they listened while Kim discussed in more detail the timeline of the assault in the Market Square and her assessment of both her lack of readiness once she identified the immediacy of the threat, and her inadequate reaction to it after it had initiated.

Marcy attempted to ease her frustration, saying that, given the uncertainty of the present conditions, peoples' minds weren't in the normal range of focus that they usually were; and with all the other incidents that had been hammering their daily lives, the possibility of physical violence just wasn't something that was on their immediate list.

Marcy left around mid-afternoon after a light lunch, saying that she would visit again during the week. That visit came on Tuesday evening, accompanied by her husband Lupe` and some of the last of the fresh meat from his Mexican restaurant, cooked on a grill before leaving their house. The four enjoyed a meal of tacos, complete with warm refried beans.

While Kim knew the support and understanding behind Marcy's words was well-meant, it did little to alter the self-criticism of her lack of decisive action during the assault. Throughout the weekend, the insistent pain of Kim's injuries continued to remind her that her expertise in the art of Karate didn't save her from those injuries. She further reasoned that her Karate didn't even save her life; it was Randy's timely appearance that ensured her survival of the hammer attack.

Kim's outward mood during the rest of the weekend and into the following week presented herself to others as someone who was trying to hang onto the positive during her recovery, even as far as regaining some range of motion without pain from periods in the basement working with light weights to rebuild her strength – but her inner thoughts remained an almost constant struggle between the "what if" of how the attack could have, and, to her hind-sighted thinking on it, indeed should have turned out; and the "what next" of her heightened attention to the possibility of future conflicts which would indicate further deterioration of social stability in the wake of the current blight of comfort and climate.

William was walking his own mental tightrope during this time as well. He fully understood that his wife was feeling pain, frustration and defeat all at the same time, and he was careful not to appear smothering or over-protective, which he thought might exacerbate the depth of Kim's self-thrashing. He also felt an inner battle with his emotions; gratitude for the fact that Kim had gotten home relatively safe versus remorse that he had let her venture out into the constant pre-dawn morning without more warning against some factors of human nature's desperation in the face of adversity; the helplessness that he felt over the fact that his wife had been savagely attacked in the street weighing against the frustration and anger he harbored over her attackers and their hostility toward Cellers in general and Kim in particular.

In the midst of this mix of internal turmoil, Kim and William held a common thought – unvoiced, as other thoughts – that being the weariness from what had transpired in the weeks leading up to the current upheaval of their, indeed everyone's lives; and the wariness of what the time ahead may hold in store if the world's already-dire situation were to become any worse.

Their collective thoughts also lit on the concept that, if there could be a "worse" compared to the current state of disruption, in what form that "worse" would present itself.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

**7. Lux Lucis ex Obscurum (It's Always Darkest Before the Swan)**

Thursday, July 3rd, 2025

12:48 PM.

William came from the kitchen area, wiping his hands in a paper towel as he passed the dining table, setting a lamp there. He approached the doorway to the basement, hearing a slow rhythmic thumping from below. "Honey?" he called down. "Lunch is ready when you are."

The first answer from near the bottom of the stairs was a huffed whisper, timed with the thumps. "4_4_...4_5_...4_6_—" her voice raised now to a speaking level "—what are we having?"

"Just a sandwich," replied William, "with the peanut butter spread thin, like you like it...and some chips."

"'K," said Kim, "be up in a sec." Her voice then returned to the whisper, resuming her count and the thumps. "4_7_...4_8_...4_9_...50." She then appeared at the bottom of the stairs, carrying a lit lamp in her left hand and a towel in her right as she ascended, meeting her husband with a smile and a quick kiss at the doorway.

As they parted, William took a second to look over the bruise covering a good portion of the left side of Kim's face, now a healthy shade of purple with a border of yellowish-orange. "Looks like that's starting to heal up a bit."

"Yeah," Kim replied. "It's still a bit tender, but it doesn't hurt much anymore. The pain pills are helping."

"Have you taken any today?"

"I took one this morning," said Kim, "but it was more for my shoulder...which is also coming along pretty well, thanks to the ointment."

"Is that what I was hearing in the basement?" William asked as they moved toward the dining table, where two paper plates were sitting in front of chairs near the lamp.

"Yep...I was punching the dummy," Kim said, lifting her right arm from her sling a bit in a slight motion of throwing a punch. "Not very hard ...but it's showing me that I'm getting use of this arm back."

William pulled a chair from one end of the table, motioning his wife to sit. "Well, at least you still have one arm left to eat with," he quipped, moving to his own chair to Kim's right.

Kim raised an eyebrow at William over his statement – then her expression changed to a bit of a playful scowl as she picked up her sandwich. "Maybe..." she mused, holding up her right hand slightly, "or maybe I _will_ have to eat with this hand...because I might be busy spanking you with my good one."

William responded with a chuckle as Kim brought her sandwich to her mouth, chewing off a bite in a slight display of mock smug defiance. He thought for a second. "Black-Belt spanking...interesting..."

Kim uttered a sudden giggle. "Hm-hm...a belt I wouldn't mind earning."

William took his sandwich from his plate and readied to take a bite when a knock at the front door stopped him just as the bread touched to his lips. He turned his head in the direction of the front foyer, then back to Kim, who met his eyes. "Did Marcy say anything about stopping by this morning?" he asked.

"Not that I remember," said Kim, who now looked through the doorway into the living room.

William replaced his sandwich on his plate and rose from his chair as a second knock came from the door. He crossed the living room and into the foyer, stopping to peek through the viewer. "I...I think it's our mail carrier," he said.

Kim gave a quizzical look toward the door, then to William. "...Really?"

William opened the door. The man standing on their porch was indeed the mail carrier that had been covering the Mason Park route for a number of years, delivering the daily collection of white silicon mail chips. He was dressed in a U.S. Postal Service uniform in shades of blue, except long pants and a long-sleeved shirt, rather than the usual short sleeves and shorts worn in late summer. Instead of the usual backpack filled with mail chips, he had with him a small cart filled with bundles of papers, one of which he was holding. "Hi, Mr. Hodge," he said, bringing up the bundle in William's direction and shining a small flashlight onto it to show their address written on the top sheet. "I have your mail from the past week or so."

"...Mail?" asked William. "But...how..."

"They managed to wire some of the printers and chip readers up to generators," the man said. "You'll have to forgive that there are no envelopes...but the bundles were covered in plain paper to preserve privacy." He then motioned the bundle toward William. "This isn't quite everything...but it's current through at least last weekend."

William reached to take the bundle, a bit amazed that even in the current conditions, some shreds of normal life endured. "Thanks," he said, reaching to shake the man's hand. "Good to see that some things are still functioning."

The mail carrier returned a smile in response. "You know what they say," he said. "'Neither snow nor rain nor heat..." he cast a glance toward the sky "...nor gloom of constant night'..." He then turned to the handle of the cart. "I'll probably be by again on Monday with more mail, if you have anything you'd like to send."

William gave a nod as the carrier retreated from their front porch and started toward the driveway. "Thanks again." He closed and locked the door, moving into the kitchen and placing the bundle on the table just to Kim's right. "It's our mail from about the last week."

Kim's eyes widened a bit in surprise at the bundle. "Mail?"

"The carrier said they have chip readers and printers hooked up to generators," said William, returning to his seat and picking a potato chip from his plate.

Kim smiled a bit. "The grocery had some light bulbs wired up to batteries," she said. "Maybe there might be a way to hook some other things up to generators, for the time being." She turned her attention to the bundle of papers, sliding the rubber band from around the outside and flattening it out. "I imagine that most of it is just bills."

"Probably," William replied, "but with things the way they are, I wouldn't think that they're expecting prompt payment on them."

Kim took a bite from her sandwich and began to leaf through the bundle. "Bill...bill...bill..." Her expression then soured a bit as she pulled a sheet from the bundle, setting it to her left. "Hm...they could have saved some resources if they left out the advertising..."

"Maybe...but then, it might border on issues with privacy, if they looked through the mail to weed those out."

Kim canted her head slightly, conceding the point. "I...guess that makes sense..." She continued to file through the stack of papers, reading the return address on each. She stopped as she read the top of one sheet about halfway through, her eyes training on the text as she pulled it from the stack, letting the rest of the papers flop onto the table. "Hey...this one's hand-written...Willow Grove...this is—" she stopped for a moment as she read further "—it's a letter...from Melfina."

William turned his attention in the direction of the paper. "Oh yeah? How are her and Mark getting along through this?"

Kim read on for a few seconds. "About the same as we are, I would guess. She doesn't say much about that..." She continued to read down the page, stopping a little more than halfway through the page of text. "Hey...she says that Wade has contacted them...he—" Her voice cut as she read a bit further – then suddenly rose from her chair, taking one of the lamps and moving into the hallway toward the bedroom.

William half-rose from his chair at his wife's sudden departure. "Honey?" he called after her.

"Back in a sec" came from the bedroom, causing William to slowly settle back into the chair, listening to the sound of a couple of drawers being opened and closed. Kim came back into the kitchen as quickly as she had left, carrying the lamp in one hand – and the small blue communications device from her show in the other. She scooted her plate of food forward and placed the Kimmunicator face-up on the table where she was sitting, then, still with the lamp, moved across the kitchen to open a drawer near the sink, rifling through the collection of small items in it. "I thought that small screwdriver set we had was in here somewhere," she said.

"Should be," replied William. "It's a small orange plastic case..."

Kim stabbed her hand into the drawer. "Yeah," she said in a quick breath, pulling the case William had described, about five inches long, from under a paper pad. She brought it up, showing it while she turned, pushing the drawer closed with her hip and returning to the table, setting it and the lamp down. She reached for the Kimmunicator, turning it over and tilting it to the light of the lamp to determine the type of screws holding the case together.

William continued to watch his wife's actions. "What are you doing, Hon?"

Kim reached for the plastic screwdriver container with her other hand, flipping the lid open and pulling a small Phillips screwdriver from it. "Melfina put instructions from Wade in the letter," she said as she applied the tip of the screwdriver to one of the screws at the back of the blue case. "It tells how to adjust the Kimmunicator so I can get a signal." She gave the screwdriver a small twist, loosening the screw and backing it out until it tipped from the case, ticking to the table. Kim then moved to another of the screws, removing it. "Maybe Wade has some clue about what's happening."

"Even off the show, he's always been on top of everything else," William said.

Kim gave a nod of agreement as she turned out the last screw and gently removed the back of the case, exposing the cacophony of circuitry beneath. She then turned to Melfina's letter, reading over the bottom half of the text. She brought up the device, turning it over and pressing the center blue button, The screen jumped to life in a haze of snow and static. She then turned the screen to William as she studied the stew of wires and diodes. "It says to turn this small blue dial until the show logo comes on," she said, locating the dial mentioned in the directions and moving her thumb and forefinger to it. William nodded and watched the screen as Kim turned the dial slowly clockwise.

After a few seconds, William noticed a change in the display. "Keep going," he said, guiding her movement on the dial, "something's coming in...a little more...more—wait, that's—that's too far, go back the other way...little more...tiny bit more...there."

Kim turned the device around. The screen was now displaying the still-familiar logo of her maiden initials ringed in green on a field of black. Even in the midst of the current turmoil, the sight of this icon from the halcyon days of her series on the small blue communicator caused her to squeeze a smile onto her face. She looked over for a moment to the letter. "Says to activate when I can see the logo." She turned back to the device, looking up to her husband for a second before pressing the button.

The device uttered the tiny twitter heard so many times in the series, but the screen did not change.

Kim waited a few seconds, then looked up to William, turning the screen so he could see. His mouth slipped into a shrug. "Try it again?"

Kim nodded and turned the Kimmunicator back to her, pressing the center button once more. This time the screen switched to the chaos of monitors and other computer equipment surrounding a chair occupied by their rotund owner and operator, whose face lit up at the activation of his main computer screen. :::Kim!!::: he burst.

Kim also broke into a warm smile at sight of Wade's computer office. "Hi Wade!"

:::I see you got Melfina's mail about adjusting the Kimmunicator,::: beamed Wade. His expression changed a bit and he scratched at the sleeve of his shirt as he leaned a little closer to the screen. :::I...also see you banged up your face...umm...fall down in the dark?:::

At mention of the injury, Kim turned slightly from the screen. "I...wish," she said softly and a bit embarrassed. "It was...an incident when I went for some groceries...a...fight...my shoulder got, err, banged up, too."

Wade's brow furrowed a bit at this, mixed with a small grimace. :::Eesh...I'd hate to see the other guy...:::

"Actually, I kind of would," replied Kim. "They're...still loose." She held up her right hand to the screen. "But I'm on the mend."

Wade's expression eased a bit. :::Good to know.:::

Kim settled back into her chair a little. "Yeah...how are you getting along with all this craziness? Is this affecting the Celler environment too?"

:::About the same as everyone else,::: replied Wade. :::It's hard to get along without all the conveniences of electricity we're used to.:::

Kim peered a bit closer into the screen, as the office of the portly genius was well-lit and seemed fully operational. "Speaking of...how is it you're still hooked up...?

Wade took a short look around his desk at the framework of screens surrounding him. :::I...am...then again, not fully. The frequency of electricity is a little different here than in the Flesher environment.::: He swept his hand at a couple of his monitors. :::Everything is on generator...and it takes a lot of juice. I can run one server nearly all day...but to have everything up and running overheats the generator after just a couple of hours.:::

"Well, it's still better than being totally out," said Kim, "but...with all the other stuff that's not running, how did you get any mail to Melfina?"

Wade reached onto his desk. :::Well...it wasn't actually mail,::: he said with a bit of a smile, holding up a telephone, :::and was kind of easy. I adjusted the frequency on a land line until I got a dial tone, much like you just did with the Kimmunicator, and then I, just...called them. I tried calling you first, but I couldn't get through. I dictated the instructions to Melfina on adjusting the Kimmunicator to send to you.:::

"Melfina said in her letter that you had contacted her and Mark...I just wouldn't have thought that it could have been by phone. Did they say how they're doing during all this?"

A bit of a wider smile crept onto Wade's face as he returned the phone to the desk and lifted the handset from the receiver. :::I'm glad you asked me that, Kim,::: he grinned as he began to punch numbers into the keypad, bringing the handset to his ear as he finished. He then sat quietly for a few seconds, his eyes cast slightly to the left as if listening. Then – :::Hi...me again—::: his words were punctuated with a quick chuckle :::—yeah, who else...listen...I have someone asking about you.:::

Kim's brow raised a bit, and William leaned a little in her direction. Wade held up a finger as his other hand moved to the keyboard slightly to his left, pressing a key. After a click, Wade motioned his finger at the screen in a "You're on" motion.

Kim hesitated a few seconds before uttering a "Hello?"

The speaker burst forth with a sudden gasp followed by a familiar bantam female exuberance. :::Kim! Kim! Ohh, it is so good to hear your voice!:::

Kim perked to the screen at the familiar and welcome sound of her dear friend. "Hi Melfina! Good to hear you too!"

:::I hope you are well during this difficult time::: said Melfina :::and I trust that William is close by:::

William rose from his chair, moving it to Kim's side of the table. "Hi there Melfina," he said. "Close by and glad to hear from you."

Another familiar voice now came from the speaker, the tonal antithesis of the first. :::Hi guys::: said Mark.

"Hiii Mark," Kim smiled, joined by William.

:::We had been thinking about you after the blackout::: Mark said :::wondering how you're doing...and thanks to Wade, we can find out:::

"Yeah," Kim grinned slightly, "there isn't much that Wade can't get hooked up."

:::Well, usually,::: said Wade, :::but it's been kind of rough since LOS...:::

"...LOS?"

:::That's what I'm calling the disruption in power and satellite transmissions. LOS...Loss Of Signal.:::

Kim cast her eyes a bit down and to the side. "...More like Loss Of Sanity," she uttered as her thoughts again touched on the violence she encountered in the Market Square. "In fact, that's one of the things I wanted to ask you about, Wade...any clue as to why all this is going on, or how to reverse it?"

Wade said little in response – in fact, his mood became a bit evasive at Kim's inquiry, scratching at the back of his head. :::That's...something I wouldn't exactly feel comfortable discussing over a wireless connection...:::

:::We've had a couple of talks over a land line::: added Mark, with Wade nodding his affirmation, :::but not much about that. It's mostly been about logistics and getting some things running:::

:::It's actually something I'd want to talk about that way,::: said Wade, :::...over a land line...with everyone else in the same room.:::

:::Speaking of everyone else::: said Mark, :::How is Ki doing?:::

Kim's expression fell a little. "She and Zach are still up at college...as far as we know. We haven't heard anything since the blackout..." Her eyes again trained on the Kimmunicator. "Wade...can you contact cell phones?"

:::Not without satellites,::: he replied. :::But I can try some of the phones at the college to see if I can find anything out. Actually...I was planning to call up there...but I wanted to know if you had heard anything first.:::

:::That's actually part of what Wade and I have been discussing::: Mark said. :::I wanted to put together a little trip to Eastgate to set up that call with Wade...but I would rather Ki be there before I come. Once he was able to contact you, I wanted him to tell you to let him know the moment you hear anything about Ki, or if she shows up there:::

Kim once again became a bit perplexed. "Umm...can I ask why, Mark? Does this have something to do with the weather and the Earth stopping and all?"

:::It was more my idea,::: said Wade. :::I know this must sound mysterious...but I think, once we get things together, that Ki should be there when Mark gets there.::: He then glanced to a monitor to his left. :::I'm starting to run a bit low on power. I want to try to make a couple of calls before I have to power down to recharge.:::

Melfina's voice returned to the speaker. :::It is good to know that you are well...both of you. And do not worry...Kimi has people around her who will ensure her safety during these conditions:::

Mark added to this. :::Count on that::: he said. :::If she's still at college, I'll arrange to get up there and bring her home:::

This pulled a smile back onto Kim's face. "Even in the worst of times, you guys are the best," she beamed.

:::Friends help each other during hard times,::: grinned Wade. :::It's what we do. I'll get back with you as soon as I get in touch with the college and recharge things a bit.:::

:::Stay well, Hodges::: blurted Melfina. :::We shall talk again soon!:::

:::Let me know what you find out, Wade::: said Mark. :::and I can get up there the same day:::

"Bye, everybody," waved Kim to the screen, which then went dark. She set the device on the table, face-down so as not to damage the exposed innards; then rose and moved to settle into her husband's lap, sliding her arms around him.

"It's nice to have those kinds of friends," said William, returning his wife's caress.

"Sure is," said Kim, "and it'll be even nicer to know that Ki will be in good hands and on her way home."

William made a motion to Kim's side of the table. "Maybe you should hold off putting that back together until after lunch..." This raised Kim's brow for a second until William continued. "...your sandwich will get cold."

Kim now canted her head slightly, her mouth popping into a smirk. "Oh...is this where you tell me about working and slaving over a hot stove for an hour...?"

"Yep!" William replied – then his eyes drifted to his plate. "Except...it was just a...flat counter...and, it was only about 10 minutes..." his gaze shifted back to Kim, nodding his head. "—but yeah, the rest is pretty much true...worked and slaved..."

A few seconds passed with them looking at each other – and Kim broke with a sudden snicker, leaning to give William a kiss. "Worry not, Mr. Hodge," she said through a chuckle, "your efforts won't go unappreciated." She rose from his lap to return to her chair, sliding the disassembled Kimmunicator out of the way and bringing her plate back in front of her, taking a chip from it to her mouth. "I'll enjoy the good news about Ki better on a full stomach, anyway."

William also smiled. Over two decades, he had come to know that his wife largely looked on the bright side of every situation, and her sunny attitude always had a way of shining onto those around her; but the events of the last few months seemed to have a bit of a drain on her positive outlook, as it had on everyone else. William took in the glow that Kim was now exuding, savoring that even through this trying ordeal, there were still things that could bring a smile to her face.

That conversation and the sliver of good news of Kimi's immediate future carried that smile into the balance of the afternoon. Despite the present absence of natural light, that smile was all the sunlight William could want.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

3:11 PM.

William had a smile as his dice tumbled from his cup onto the board. He reached for the last four of his pieces, scooping them up and placing them into the trough at the end of the board to join the rest.

Kim shook her head slowly, letting her cup fall to the board among her remaining pieces. "Three in a row? Fluke much...?" She then made the motion of writing on a pad. "Note to self...no backgammon with Himself unless the Earth is rotating..."

William's smile continued as he reached for his dice, placing them back into the cup and setting it on the board. "You know I savor anytime I can beat you at backgammon," he said, "but I think I would rather lose a hundred times in a row if it meant everything else becoming normal again...or at least moving back in the right direction..."

"I'd give anything if it were only that simple," said Kim, rising from the floor and taking a seat on the couch next to her husband. "Heck, I'd even be willing to lose _two_ hundred games."

William thought for a second. "I don't even think you've lost that many to me in the whole time we've been together."

Kim nodded slowly, reaching to close the board. "Even at that," she said, moving back onto the couch, "I'd even put up with having never won a game in my entire life...if it—"

Kim's sentence was stopped by the sudden series of electronic tones from the Kimmunicator, now reassembled and sitting next to the backgammon board on the coffee table. She quickly turned back to William while simultaneously grabbing to the table. "Right direction," she said quickly through an excited breath as she swiped the small blue device from the table, bringing it up as she sat upright and stabbed at the blue center button.

A blurred image of Wade's office filled the screen, streaked with transmission lines and flits of static, and was accompanied by as fringed hiss which varied in volume. The chubby inhabitant was turned to his left, making adjustments to a piece of equipment.

Kim looked to William, tilting the device to show him, then turned back to the screen while raising an eyebrow. "...Wade?"

Wade turned to his right to peer into the screen, the aural haze and blips of static breaking his speech into spotted words. "K-m...sorry—aven't gotten back to you sooner...probl—generator link...only enough—ower for a few—econds—"

Kim shook the Kimmunicator slightly. "Wade? I can hardly understand you," she said, her voice belying her mix of anxiety and frustration, "you're barely coming through. Please tell me you've talked to Ki!!"

"—ish I could," came the garbled reply. "I got a hold of th—ousing director. She—aid Ki—ot there...she, Zach, Mon—nd—annie checked in—office...all four left the day—"

The screen's output melted into a solid display of snow and a constant loud hiss. Kim's brow furrowed as she stared at the device, shaking it again and tapping on the screen. "Wade? Wade!?" she pleaded, pressing the center button repeatedly in an increasingly frantic attempt to regain any type of contact. "Wade, what day!??"

She stopped, still looking at the screen for a few seconds, waiting for some response. She slumped a bit and pressed a button to turn off the device as she felt William's arm slide softly over her shoulders. "He'll make contact again, after he fixes the generator problem and recharges," he said in an attempt at reassurance.

Kim moved forward a little, placing the Kimmunicator back onto the coffee table, pushing it a bit with her fingers, then back to lean onto her husband's arm, taking his other hand in hers. "Yeah," she said wistfully, "he will...but right now, all we know for sure is that Ki has left the campus...but we don't know what day they left, where they went, or even why they went. I hope she's not trying to walk all the way here from the college. That's too far on foot, and in the dark...and especially with how things are, with a Senator wanting to send out the military to treat Cellers like...like they're criminals...like they caused all of this. And who knows how many other people who feel the same way...like Brian and Troy..."

She then turned the side of her face to William's chest. "Now I'm officially worried," she said softly with a slight waver of uncertainty.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

Kim was relatively pensive and withdrawn the rest of the afternoon, her mind filled with the mix of incidents of the day; the high of establishing a communications link with a portion of the outside world and hearing from friends, and the low resulting from the failed attempt by Wade to get word from Kimi, mixed with the further low of not knowing where she and the others set out for. She spent time in the afternoon in her basement office, reading or engaging in a few hands of Solitaire until the light from the portable lamp began to fade. On the times William would talk to her, she would make an attempt to interact and even seem slightly upbeat.

William was understanding in his conversations. He could tell the depth of her concern over the current state of affairs, further weighed by this latest emotional shortfall. William, too shared this weight of learning of Kimi leaving the college and the uncertainty of her present whereabouts, but his more pressing concern was for his wife. The events leading up to and since the global blackout seemed to be more of a cumulative burden than Kim could comfortably endure; and a burden that William felt more or less helpless to do anything to comfort her through it.

The adversities befalling the world were indeed a drain on morale and resolve. William thought they might have been less difficult for them to deal with, even if by only slightly, if the effects of the disaster were indirect and remote instead of impacting on a local level and with such depth.

It was actually this line of blemished denial – the thought that "bad things only happen to other people" – that began to pull William's mind back to thoughts of what could be lurking in their future, and if Kimi's disappearance from the college might be the precursor to a "worse" – or even a more unthinkable "worst." It also brought him to wonder if the present relative isolation that Kim was undergoing might be her preparation, if there really were any, to brace against "worse."

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

7:21PM.

During what would be evening, William again descended the stairs to Kim's basement office to say that dinner was prepared. He opened the door to find Kim leaning forward in her chair, her arms folded onto the desk and her head resting on them, her hair draped over her upper arms. He approached, placing a hand softly onto her back. "Hon? I went next door to Carrie and John's...they heated up some vegetable soup for us."

Kim raised her head slowly from her arms and turned her face toward William. The moment she did, he could tell that she had spent at least part of her time down here weeping over the unknown state of their daughter. "...Hi," she said softly, sweeping her hair back to reveal bleary eyes. "I was...resting..."

William brushed aside the obvious fib, moving to place a light kiss on his wife's cheek. "We have some hot soup upstairs," he said.

His soft voice soothed Kim's expression into a smile. She knew that he was aware of her concern, and that there was no real reason to hide it. "I've been..." she now looked slightly to the side "—I've been thinking...about Ki..." This brought a slight nod of confirmation from William. "It's just...just terrible...the not knowing," Kim continued. "Wade said that all four of them left together...I mean, I know that Ki is able to take care of herself...but...with things the way they are, it makes me feel a little better knowing that Zach is with her."

William stood straight and extended his hand. "...Shall we?"

Kim took her husband's hand and rose from the chair to stand. William could swear that her touch, usually always welcome, seemed even more warm and tender as she looked into his eyes. "...I love you," she said softly, taking both of his hands into hers. "From nearly the day we met, I have loved you more and more every day...more than my words and actions could ever express..." Kim then moved into William's arms, pressing warmly to him. "...Through everything that's happening...it's you who keeps me anchored and sane..."

William returned the embrace, smoothing his arms around Kim and savoring the enveloping Celler warmth. "Even if the Sun never rose again," he said, lightly pressing his lips to the top of her head, "I have all the light and warmth I could need."

Kim's response to this was a slow, soft sigh of contentment and a deepening of her embrace, her hands caressing and squeezing lightly at her husband's back. After what seemed like never enough seconds, she pulled back until their eyes met, her hands on his forearms. Her eyes were as warm as her smile as she looked up to him. "It's so nice that Carrie and John are heating up meals for us, but..." she paused for a second, her eyes dropping momentarily to William's chest, then picking back up, "...I...just don't feel hungry...right now, anyway. I feel more like a little nap first..."

William was a bit surprised at this, but he understood the method his wife was employing to deal with the uncertainty and stress in the best way she could. His expression relaxed into the slightest smile and a bit of a nod. "I can put your soup into a container," he said. "Carrie can heat it up tomorrow."

"Well, put it in a container," returned Kim. "I'll eat it later." This brought a slight puzzlement from William until Kim's expression became a slight smirkish grin. "I'll just tear some bread into it and pretend it's gazpacho." At the return of a smile to William's face, Kim released one of his hands long enough to turn back to her desk, retrieving the lamp. "I believe someone said, 'Shall we'?"

Kim shifted the lamp to her right hand as William held out his arm, which she curled hers around. They ascended the stairs still arm in arm with Kim leading the way. At the top of the stairs, Kim turned to William for another soft kiss. "Talk to you soon," she smiled.

"Sleep well," said William. "Soup will be on the counter when you wake up." With that, they parted, William turning toward the kitchen and Kim heading down the hallway to the bedroom.

William opened a door under the counter for a plastic container and poured Kim's bowl of soup into it, placing the lid on it loosely. He then took the remaining bowl and moved to sit at the table, placing the lamp there as well. He picked the spoon from the rim of the bowl and lazed it through the dark broth for a moment before leveling a mouthful and bringing it to his mouth, letting it sit for a moment and withdrawing it slowly. _She's putting up a strong front,_ he thought. _She knows I know that she's worrying like crazy about Ki...and she knows I am too...but she's trying not to burden me with it by displaying it. It's burden enough that I can't ease her worry – or mine. We're all held more or less captive to whatever has gripped the planet...but it would at least be a little more bearable if all three of us were in the same place._

William took another couple of mouthfuls of soup before his thoughts brought him to another contemplative pause. _The entire world is under this disaster. In a relative sense...we already are all in the same place. Guess I mean together instead. We're all already here...but it would be better if we were together right now._

William worked slowly but steadily on the remainder of his soup, taking the dish to the sink when he was through and rinsing it out. He walked back to the sliding door to the patio and checked that it was locked. He moved the drapes a bit to the side and looked into the back yard, still barely distinguishable as an array of dusky silhouettes in the pre-dawn limbo. _It's a little over 100 miles to the college, _he thought as he looked up slightly to the tops of the trees still moving from the wind, active since the cessation of the Earth's rotation and the start of the relentless darkness. _Kim's right...too far to walk. If things were still working and it was just a simple power outage, Ki and the rest could get a ride from someone to get home. But right now, anything that produces or depends on electricity is out—including cars and other forms of travel. Wade said that all four left the college. Even if they tried it, it would take them more than a week to walk all the way here. _He slowly let the drapes slip from his fingers as he turned away from the door. _I know Ki and Zach are in good shape, but Monique and Frannie wouldn't be up to that kind of trip...and Ki and Zach wouldn't leave them behind._

William took the lamp from the table and moved slowly through the kitchen and through the doorway into the living room, watching the shadows cast by the lamp moving in an eerie slow dance, almost as animals in the jungle might while studying another, shifting slowly to keep their cover. He sat on the couch, his mind swirling with events past and present surrounding life as they knew it before the progression which was now life as they lived it and its list of struggles and relative setbacks compared to the convenience and luxury of technology. He bent forward to place the lamp on the coffee table and reached to the small radio, turning it on. _I don't suppose there's anything heartening on the radio..._

:::—report received about an hour ago through short-wave tells of another Celler death outside of Abilene, Texas involving a rather well-known personality. Josie James, the lead character in the 70's series "Josie and the Pussycats," was reportedly abducted from her home in Abilene by an angry mob of about 50 people and taken to a ranch outside the city, where she was beaten, stabbed, and...immolated, spurred on by shouting from the crowd, apparently another act of violence in reaction to discussion heard on last Friday's broadcast of—:::

William turned off the radio and sank slowly back onto the couch, sliding the first two fingers of each hand along the sides of his nose, nudging his glasses upward from the bridge of his nose as he rubbed his eyes. _Called that one._

It was at this moment that William felt a bit of the strain the last few days had been giving him. He sat up again, rubbing the side of his neck, his fingers and palm warming against his skin. _It makes little sense to let dwelling on the unknown take over the rest of your mind,_ he thought, _and it helps nothing but to produce more worry. Maybe Ki and the others know someone off-campus who offered to let them stay there for a while. It would have to be better than a dark dorm room...and safer._

William rose to his feet, looking slowly over the living room bathed in the relative surreal light from the small battery-powered lamp. _Maybe Kim has the right idea,_ he thought. _Even though it's temporary and a stop-gap measure at best...perhaps sleep is the best way to escape the madness._ He reached down to bring the lamp from the coffee table and turned to look down the hallway to the partially-closed bedroom door. _But how can sleep come to a mind that is filled with thoughts of all the violence and death? Is it the strength of will that brings sleep as a release? Or is it sheer mental and emotional exhaustion that the mind succumbs to, and the body follows involuntarily as part of a sort of reset defense?_

William started down the hallway at a slow but steady pace, bringing up his other hand in front of the lamp as he neared the bedroom door to block some of the light. He lightly pressed his upper arm against the door to open it, stepping inside and turning to nudge the door closed with his foot until the latch was within an inch of the strike. He turned back to the bed. Kim had chosen to sleep on his side of the bed on her stomach, her head facing the edge on that side with the bruised side of her face up. William moved to the other side of the bed, turning back the near side of the cover, setting the lamp on the nightstand and unbuckling his pants, letting them fall to the floor before sitting on the bed, pushing one foot free with the other, then bringing up the remaining leg to remove the jeans.

When William sat back up, he began to reach for the lamp to turn it off – but stopped, turning instead for a moment to look to the contour of his sleeping wife beneath the light cover. _This is what keeps me from succumbing to the madness,_ he thought, reaching again to turn off the lamp and gently settling under the cover next to Kim, taking care to mind her injured shoulder. _When you find yourself surrounded by weeds, it's good to find a rose._ William reached to his wife beneath the cover, smoothing his hand lightly over the slight valley formed at the small of her back. _A rose with no thorns, _he thought as he began to feel the warm fingers of sleep creeping over him. _One could never count oneself more blessed for such a beautiful find..._

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

Friday, July 4th

1:37 AM.

"William—!"

The rushed whisper came again, accompanied by another quick tug at his shoulder. "William!—"

William stirred from his slumber at the second attempt, turning toward the touch and the fevered voice in the dark.

"William, please get up," Kim whispered again at a quick pace. "I think somebody is trying to break into the house."

William quickly sat up, flinging his legs over the side of the bed and pulling off the cover.

"I thought I heard a noise at the back doors a few minutes ago," Kim continued in a hushed tone, "and just a few seconds ago there was, like, scratching or something at the bedroom window...like someone was trying to take off the storm screen..."

As Kim was telling this, William had reached for his jeans, sliding his legs into them and pulling them up as he stood. He fastened them as he moved around the bed to his nightstand, quietly pulling open the top drawer and withdrawing the pistol Officer Miller had sold him. He felt with his finger along the frame of the weapon, sliding the safety to the "fire" position as he turned back to the bed. "Stay here," he whispered.

Kim peeled away from William, sliding across the bed to her nightstand. "Ohhh, no," she whispered, reaching into a drawer. "If there are more than one of them, you might be overpowered...or worse." She moved to the foot of the bed with William, now holding one of the lamps in one hand – and the taser from her nightstand in the other. "I think you'd welcome your Black-Belt wife as backup," she said. She then held up the taser. "Besides, I don't think we bought this just to look at."

William moved toward the bedroom door, raising the pistol a bit, his left hand curled around his right. "Randy told me to use both hands," he said. "This thing has a real kick." He stopped at the door with Kim close behind. "Stay behind me," he said, opening the door slightly to peer down the darkened hallway for a few seconds before venturing into it.

They moved quietly and cautiously along the hallway, taking a second to peek into the doorway of the bathroom, William's office and Kimi's "former" bedroom as they passed it, all the while their main focus on the living room and the front foyer. As they reached the edge of the doorway to the kitchen. William edged his head around the corner, looking toward the sliding doors to the back porch. _The drapes are undisturbed,_ he thought. _They haven't gotten in that—_

Their attention immediately returned to the front foyer as they heard a slight rattling followed by the faint "shhhh" of the hydraulic closer as the outside door opened.

William moved to the wall opposite the kitchen, setting his shoulder against it and raising his arms to train the pistol at the front door. He felt a couple of beads of sweat break out on his forehead as his mind raced. _I locked the door I locked the door I locked the door they'll have to pick the lock or break the door down...how many? How many?_

Kim slid slightly to William's left, mentally and physically preparing herself as well. _Be ready, _she told herself as her grip tightened on the taser and the lamp. _No pain, Kim. There is no pain in this shoulder. Ready to rock. If they don't have guns, you can be __**my**_ _backup, Honey...'cause I'll be going full animal on them._

William tightened his grip on the weapon, the hairs on the back of his neck standing as they heard the light metallic "thunk" of the deadbolt on the inside door. _Randy said to "aim for critical mass, like the chest or gut." I'm pretty sure I don't want to have to kill anyone...but I'm more sure that I don't want anyone in this house without invitation or permission—_

Their thoughts skidded to a halt and their heartbeats quickened to race with their tension as the main latch of the inside door clicked and the door began to open slowly. The faint light from outside silhouetted a shadowy figure in the doorway with a larger, thicker figure slightly to the left. _Two of them,_ William thought as the figures began to slowly advance through the doorway. _Wait...three—_

A flashlight beam leapt from the doorway, illuminating William's upper body and highlighting the muzzle of the weapon he trained in that direction. "Don't move!" he barked, stiffening his stance and hoisting the pistol slightly.

The sharp command brought a quick gasp and a shrill scream from the doorway, followed by a sudden outbreak of frantic voices mixed with a second, much tinier scream.

"Don't shoot—!"

"Dad-! _No!_"

The flashlight now quickly swung onto the rather familiar face of a man with a thick mane of jet-black hair—

—it then swung to the left to light a much more familiar face.

The living room was suddenly bathed in the wider light from the lamp Kim was holding, her taser tucked under her left arm. The scene revealed to her confirmed the sound of the voices she heard in the dark; her daughter and friends, somehow home, all wearing light jackets and backpacks.

She quickly turned her head to William, a look of slight disbelief sprinkled with a smile of relief spreading across her face. She passed him the taser and immediately turned toward the door, switching the lamp to her right hand. "Ki...? You guys are home!?" she squealed, moving across the room to wrap her left arm warmly around her daughter and placing a kiss on her cheek. "My baby is home."

Upon recognizing his offspring and her friends and not invaders had entered their home in the middle of the night, William had little other than to feel like somewhat of a gun-toting fool. He placed the weapons on the coffee table and moved to to also hug Kimi, then turned to Zach, shaking his hand. "Good to see you're all home," he said, attempting to save his dignity after being awash in a sea of gunpowder bravado. "...How are you?"

Zach looked down for a moment and began to pat over several places on his upper body. "I...feel okay," he said, "...no bullet holes."

William reached for the back of his neck. "...Sorry about that," he offered a bit quietly, "we...we heard sounds outside the house. We thought you might be..."

"Little help here...?"

The request came from Monique, who was holding onto a rather weak Frannie, who had uttered the first scream at the sight of the handgun aimed at them.

Kim parted slightly from Kimi, looking to her left to Monique. "Yes, yes of course," she said, turning further to her left and motioning back to the couch.

"She was all about freak like that the first time I brought a handgun into the dorm room from my LE App II class," Kimi said as her mother helped Monique move Frannie to lie on the couch. "It was just a mock-up to get used to taking one apart for cleaning...but she didn't kn—"

Kim had turned from the couch, and Kimi caught first sight of the wound on her mother's face, previously hidden by the angle of light from the lamp. Her expression immediately turned to one of pained surprise. "...Mom? Wh-what..." she stammered, withdrawing slightly. The face of the naked mole rat peering from the upper pocket of Kimi's jacket dropped into an open-mouthed stare. Monique's eyes also widened as she looked from Frannie up to Kim and uttered a slow gasp.

Kim's response was wordless; looking slightly down and away from her daughter's inquiry, her eyes slowly closing.

Kimi's inquisitiveness coupled with sudden concern as she reached for her mother, placing a hand against Kim's still-somewhat sore shoulder to gather her in. "...Mom...?"

Kim immediately winced from the innocent squeeze, twisting further from Kimi. "Ah—ahh," she burst through pained gasps between clenched teeth. Kimi quickly withdrew from Kim's injury.

"Your mother was...jumped...in the Market last week," said William.

Kimi turned first to her father and then to Kim with the same look of disbelieving shock. The others also looked to Kim at the revelation.

Kim now turned back toward Kimi. "There were two of them," she said softly, almost ashamedly. "One of them...had a hammer..."

Kimi drew out an incredulous gasp. "They...they hit you with...?" she whispered, her eyes still focused on the deep bruise on the left side of Kim's face.

"Not in the face," replied Kim. "The shoulder...the other one tackled me in the street," she said, motioning to the bruise on her face. "That's where this came from."

Kim's brow slowly furrowed. "But...the cops have them now...right?"

"They said they would tell us when they had located them," said William, "...but we haven't heard anything yet..."

Zach motioned to the coffee table. "That would explain the guns."

Kimi's brow now narrowed her eyes in a growing anger as she turned to Zach. "Get a nap," she said, "then we're tracking down these—"

"No," Kim cut in. "With everything else that's going on, the police have enough to deal with without worrying about vigilantes 'tracking people down'. Just let them do their job. They'll get the ones who attacked me."

Kimi turned to her mother, rather taken aback at her rationale. "A whole week, and they haven't told you anything about if they've caught them? I'd hardly call that—" she threw up her hands in the direction of Kim in a pair of quotation marks "—'doing their job'." Her tone now became a bit defensive. "If you remember, I've been in college for the past two years learning to _do_ their job!" She brought up her fingers again. "I almost _am_ 'the police'! About the only thing I don't have is the badge to make it official!"

"That's right, you don't have a badge yet," Kim shot back, her voice also raising, "and that lack of a badge _should_ be telling you that, no matter how much you _know_ their job, you don't have the permission or the authority to pretend to _do_ their job!"

"Pre-_tend?? _I'm—"

"Alright, stop," William broke in, a shard of anger in his own tone, "both of you. There are some things that we can do now that we're all home, and I'm pretty sure that yelling at each other shouldn't be one of them."

They both turned to William for a few seconds – then back to each other; Kim's flustered expression melted first, followed by her daughter's, both ending in an apologetic, almost sheepish smile mixed with relief. "I...am glad you're home," she offered softly, first to Kimi, then to the others, "...all of you."

Kimi seemed more relieved as Kim turned back to her. "That's all about mutual," she said, moving toward her mother, extending her arms.

She was stopped momentarily by Kim tipping her view to Kimi's left arm. "Go low," she grinned. Kimi complied, adjusting to gather Kim at her upper waist as the two embraced. "One question," Kim said as they parted. "I heard noises outside the windows before you came in. Were you..."

Kimi looked a bit ashamed. "I...couldn't find my key," she said. "We tried the back doors...then we were going to take off a window screen and come in that way...then I remembered the code for the hide-a-key on the garage opener."

"Okay...now I have to ask...how did you get a hundred miles from school...with nothing at all running right now?"

Kimi smirked a bit in response. "This is why your smart daughter in college has a smart boyfriend in college." She held up a finger and turned for the front door, tapping Zach on the upper arm to follow her, coupled with Rufus waving in a "Come on" motion from her pocket.

Monique turned for a moment from Frannie, who had mostly recovered from the mistaken confrontation upon the four entering the house, but still kept her eyes averted from the weaponry on the coffee table. "Hey Kim," she asked, "I don't mean to talk out of bounds, but I'm curious...how can two guys without guns outdo a Karate Black Belt?"

Kim moved from the middle of the living room to join the two on the couch. "Couple of things," she sighed. "These guys have had major Celler issues for a long time before all this happened and some tried to somehow blame it all on us...there was one in front and one behind...my hands were full of groceries...I was still thinking about the conversation I had a couple minutes before with the clerk in the market about things they were dealing with...I was completely off guard until one of them had grabbed me." Her eyes then lowered to the carpet. "I...did what I could, but...by then, they had the upper hand..."

Monique gave a visible wince at the short verbal description of the incident. "Were...were you hurt bad?"

"This is just bruises and soreness, mostly," said Kim, motioning with her left hand first to her face, then touching to the top of her right shoulder. "Actually, my pride was hurt a lot worse."

Monique kept her gaze on Kim, shaking her head slowly with a note of sympathy and a sliver of anger, dumbfounded at how such senseless violence could be brought just by words.

The three on the couch now turned their attention to the foyer as William uttered a chuckle. "That's one smart boyfriend," he said back into the living room as he held open the outside door. Kimi came through the door first, followed immediately by Zach, each escorting a version of their means back to Eastgate—

A shiny blue tandem bicycle.

Kim slowly rose from the couch, her eyes fixed on the pair of bikes. "...Bicycles? All the way from college?"

Kimi brought down the kickstand of the bike she was holding, settling it gently onto the carpet, then turned to Zach as he was resting his. "Zach is friends with one of the teachers at the metal shop," she said, patting him on the shoulder. "Mr. Feranz works on bikes as a hobby. Zach remembered seeing these in the metal shop earlier in the semester...and last Monday he went to talk with Mr. Feranz. The next day, it was all about on the road...Zach on one and me on the other, with Moni and Fra on the back. We did about 30 miles a day, no sweat, and slept where we found friendly people."

Rufus shot a tiny fist into the air from Kimi's pocket. "Born to ride!" he squeaked, bringing a wave of chuckles from the rest.

Kimi reached up and slid the straps of her backpack from her shoulders, opening it and pulling out a long red chain linked with a padlock. "He even gave us locks."

"So you left on Tuesday?" asked William. Zach nodded in confirmation as he removed his backpack.

Kim's eyes began to widen. "Tuesday...the-day before yesterday! That's what Wade was trying to tell me!"

At mention of the chubby super-genius from the show, Monique and Kimi both perked. "Wade?" asked Monique. "...how?"

"The Kimmunicator, natch," grinned Kim, moving back to the couch. "It _is_ battery-powered, after all. He called the campus and found out you had left."

Frannie looked a bit puzzled. "Called? None of the phones are working...not even the cells."

"Adjusted frequency on a land line," replied Kim.

Frannie leaned forward slightly, looking at Kim. "That's something that's been bugging me since all this mess started," she said as she slipped an arm from the strap of her backpack. "If battery-operated stuff works, then why not cars? Don't they have batteries in them?"

"They do," said William, "but their power comes from hydrogen fuel. It's used to create electricity for the motor. That's where the process is breaking down."

Kimi took a step to the end of the couch near Kim, leaning to let Rufus move from her pocket and down her arm to Kim's lap. She then crossed the living room with her backpack, setting it on the floor to lean against the end of the coffee table. "All about quite the arsenal," she said as she picked up the taser, studying it. "I don't really remember my parents being so...well-armed, though..."

"Officer Miller sold those to us," said William, "...when he brought your mother home after the fight."

Kimi set down the taser and brought up the pistol, turning it over slowly, nodding slightly as she set the safety. "Glock semi-auto...standard police issue...solid piece." She tilted it a bit, moving her left hand under the butt as she released the clip and set it down, the sound as it contacted the coffee table bringing a visible shiver from Frannie. "Light...quick...good action," Kimi said as she turned the gun upside-down, cupping her hand over the slide as she racked it back, ejecting the last round from the chamber. She set the pistol on the table and looked at one end of the bullet for a few seconds, then the other. "Nine-millimeter...hollow-point...not jacketed, but good stopping power..." Kimi then turned her head in the direction of the couch. "Here, hold this," she said with the slightest hint of a smirk, tossing the bullet.

Frannie let out a shriek as the bullet landed with a light "thump" on the cushion between her legs. She quickly threw herself against the back of the couch, hiking her hips off the cushion and swiping at it with her hands to sweep the round onto the floor.

Kimi held back the urge to giggle at her friend's irrational fear as she bent to retrieve the bullet where it stopped next to a leg of the table. "Oh, frost it, Fra," she said, setting the round on the table next to the clip, then reaching to pat Frannie's knee, "it's a bullet, not a bomb."

Frannie slowly settled back onto the couch with Monique's help, her arm around her shoulders. "I've never liked guns," she said, her eyes continually shifting back and forth between Kimi and the firearm on the table. "I've seen what guns can do to people. When I was about six, my uncle had to stay with us for a couple of months after someone broke into his house...he was shot when they were robbing him."

"Your uncle didn't have a firearm of his own, did he..."

"No," protested Frannie, "nobody in our family does."

"Just another reason for home defense," Kimi said. "It's harder for someone to take what you have if you're all about armed and prepared." She then reached for her backpack, opening the front pouch. "Didn't you feel safer on the trip knowing I had this with me?" she grinned, pulling out a small semi-automatic handgun.

While Monique and Zach were more used to it, the sight of a firearm in their daughter's possession brought a worried look from William and a sharp gasp from Kim. "Ki, what are you doing with that?? You had that on you while traveling? What if you had gotten picked up with it?"

Kimi returned her weapon to the pouch and pulled out her wallet. "All about no worries," she said, shaking it slightly. "It's fully legal and registered...I'm even licensed for Concealed Carry."

Kim's brow furrowed further. "You carry that...everywhere?"

"Not on campus," replied Kimi, slipping the wallet back into the pouch and pressing on the snap to close it. "Not allowed. I have to have it locked in a case if I take it to or from class or the range. I have the case with me, but I had it in this pouch on the trip...more ready." Frannie continued to watch rather nervously as Kimi returned her backpack to lean against the end of the coffee table.

"Is...is that the same kind of gun that we have now?" asked Kim.

"Nooo," Kimi replied immediately, shaking her head and motioning to the weapon lying on the table, "it's not a cannon like this...mine is a little .380 auto. Even though it's small, it's still a good personal defense weapon. It belongs to one of the professors in one of my classes...he lent it to me, so I could practice at the range on the weekends."

William now moved to sit on the arm of the couch next to Kim. "What did you guys do for food?"

"Whatever we could find," said Monique. "When we came to a town, we would look for any kind of store that was still open."

Zach slipped his backpack from his shoulders, setting it near the other corner of the coffee table, and moved to sit on the floor near that side. "There wasn't a big selection," he said. "Most of the stuff was spoiling or was already thrown out. Mostly we've been surviving on snack food."

"Do you feel like more of a meal?" asked Kim. "Our neighbor brought us some tuna salad. I can make some sandwiches. It's not a lot...but it's sure more than junk food."

The four travelers responded quickly with "Yeah" "Mmm, that'd be great," punctuated with "Num num num" from Rufus.

Kim moved Rufus to the arm of the couch and rose. "I'm afraid all we have to drink is water, though."

"That's fine," said Zach.

William also stood. "I'll get some glasses."

The two started for the kitchen. "I'll bet you're pretty tired after being on the road for three days," Kim said, bringing a nod from the others. "After you eat, we'll work out places for everyone to bed down. In the morning, I'll tell Wade you're all here."

"I think I might want someone to walk with me to my mom's house in the morning," said Frannie. "She'll be glad to see me...but I think it can wait until after I get some sleep."

Kimi nodded in response as she settled to sit on the floor next to Zach. "We can take one of the bikes."

In the kitchen, Kim took the lamp from the table and went to the cupboard for a loaf of bread and a few paper plates. She then handed the lamp to William, who went into the garage to retrieve the container of tuna salad from the deep freeze. While having been off for more than a week, keeping it closed retained some of its coldness.

William returned from the garage, setting the lamp and the container of salad on the island next to the stove while Kim set out a pair of bread slices on the stack of plates to make the first of the sandwiches. "Did you want one?" she asked.

"No," replied William, "I'm still good from the soup."

Kim pulled the lid from the plastic container and then reached into a drawer for a spoon. "I might," she said, dipping the spoon into the salad and placing a scoop on one of the slices of bread, spreading it. "I didn't eat anything last night."

William sniffed out a small chuckle. "Who knew that when our daughter came home, she'd be bringing your appetite with her?"

Kim uttered a sudden giggle, moving to nudge William slightly. "Funny." She placed one slice of bread over the first, patting it lightly in place and slipping the top plate to the side. "To think, a few hours ago, we worried about where she was. Now we just have to worry about where she's going to sleep."

This puzzled William for a moment. "...I would think she's assuming she's going to be sleeping in her own room..."

"Yes," Kim replied, beginning to assemble another sandwich, "but, not all I was thinking about."

William thought for a few seconds – "Oh...well...there's the couch in the living room...and the one in my office..."

Kim moved the second sandwich to the side and turned to William as she reached for more bread. "...I know that Ki and Zach are pretty close," she said in a low voice, "...but with everything else that's been going on...I'd feel more comfortable not having to think or worry about..."

She was stopped momentarily by William's soft touch along her lower back. Her expression changed a bit and her shoulders slumped slightly as she attempted to shift her logic. "I know," she breathed out slowly, "...our daughter has a head on her shoulders..." She took another small sigh. "She and Zach aren't the type to go rushing into anything without thinking it through..." She then picked up the two plates with sandwiches. "Take these out to them?" she said, a smile slipping onto her face. "I'll have the others done in a couple."

William took the plates, placing a soft kiss on his wife's forehead, then slid behind her to head to the living room. Kim returned to her task, slipping the spoon into the container for another small scoop of salad, spreading it onto the bread. _Yep Kim,_ she thought as she placed the other slice on top, patting it into place, _your daughter is another one of your anchors...and with all the other chaos right now, you have to hold onto all the anchors you can...and keep them close._

Kim was preparing the last sandwich when William returned to the kitchen, opening a lower cupboard for a stack of plastic cups. He set five of them on the counter next to the sink and began to fill one with water. Kim took the plates from the counter, stacking the third on top of one of the sandwiches. "I'll take these out and be back to help you with the water," she said.

As Kim moved to the coffee table to set down the plates, Kim observed Frannie and Monique engaged in lightly pounding their fist on their knees three times and quickly bringing up their hand toward each other in various symbols. Kim set the second plate down then moved between Kimi and Zach and the bicycles to set hers down at the other end of the table, looking toward the activity on the couch. "Rock Paper Scissors?"

"It's to see who sleeps in my room," said Kimi.

Kim stole an almost unconscious glance to Zach. "Oh," she uttered haltingly. "...Did Zach already lose?" she continued with a sliver of unashamed motherly hopefulness.

Kimi instantly shot her mother a stare of thinly-masked disbelief at the question. Frannie and Monique stopped their contest, trading quick glances between Kim and Kimi.

Zach also looked up at Kim. "Actually, I was wondering if this couch would be alright," he said, tipping his head toward where the two girls were seated. "It looks kind of comfy."

Kim's expression was awash with embarrassment and a shadowing of relief as her eyes flitted to the couch, to Kimi, then to Zach. "Of—yes, of course," she stammered. "We have extra pillows and blankets."

William now entered the living room with three cups between his hands. "Here's the drinks," he said. Frannie immediately stood to relieve him of one of the cups, and she and William set them on the table. William looked at the untouched array of sandwiches on the table. "Nobody's eating?" he asked.

Kimi took a quick glance to her mother, then turned to her father. "We...were waiting until everybody had everything," she said.

Kim nodded in agreement, slowly settling to the couch. She returned the look with a slight smile, a silent thanks to her daughter for deflecting the underlying tension in the room.

"Ah," said William, holding up a finger. "Then you're just two glasses of water away from that." He turned to go back into the kitchen.

"And we're one decision away," said Monique, turning back to face Frannie, placing her fist on the tip of her knee. "Let's go girl," she said, "last round."

Frannie now also turned to face the center of the couch, folding her left leg under and setting her fist onto her right knee. Her eyes narrowed to slits and her mouth curled into a playful-yet competitive sneer. "Do it."

William entered the room with the other two cups of water. He and the others looked on as the two girls then set themselves for a second, their eyes locked on one another. Their fists burst into a quick series of thumps against their knees, the girls speaking in unison, the fourth motion bringing their hands to about chest level to present their choice—

"Rock-Paper-Scissors-_Shoot!_—"

And just like that, it was done, the comparative results in the girls' hands telling the tale;

Rock breaks Scissors.

"Yes!" Frannie squealed, pumping her still-curled fist in front of her. "Yay me!"

Monique huffed out an "Urgh" of defeat through her teeth. "Oh well," she breathed, reaching to the table for one of the plates, bringing it to her lap, "even sleeping on the floor will be better than having to try to get all the way back to Pittsburgh through all that darkness outside."

"No floor," said Kimi. "There's a couch in my dad's office...or there's a hide-a-bed in the workout room downstairs." William nodded in confirmation and went back into the kitchen for the other lamp. Kim moved around the table to sit next to Monique on the couch, reaching for a plate and one of the cups.

Frannie had taken one of the plates, starting on her sandwich. "Mmm," she said through the bite, "maybe we should play again for each other's sandwich. This is really good."

Monique had just taken a bite of her own. "Hm?"

Then the taste hit her.

"Mm! Mmmm," she moaned, shaking her head. "Hm-mm, girl...there's no-_way_ I'd risk this...this is-_alla_ mine."

The others now tried their meals. "it is good," Kimi said, with Kim nodding in agreement. Kimi looked at the filling for a moment. "What all is in here?"

"Carrie said there's some relish," said Kim, "a little bit of ranch dressing...and shaved almonds for texture."

Kimi pulled about a quarter of her sandwich away and set it on her plate on the table. "Ruf?"

The naked mole rat scrambled from the arm of the couch, scurrying under the table to come up on Kimi's side between she and Zach. He jumped onto the table, sitting at the side of Kimi's plate and reaching for the offering there. He sniffed at it for a second – then dug in, closing his eyes as he chewed. "Mmmmm-mmm" he drew out through his puffed cheeks, a smile spreading over them.

"I'll have to remember this for next semester," Monique said.

Frannie cast her eyes a bit downward, slowly moving her sandwich to her plate. "...if there's even school anymore..."

Monique placed her hand on her friend's shoulder. "Don't think like that," she said. "Of course there will be school. They'll find a way...that's the human condition. We adapt."

"I'll get some blankets and pillows from Kimi's closet," said William, "and then I think I'll adapt back to sleep."

"I'll be there right after I finish this," Kim smiled, readying to take another bite of her sandwich. William gave a nod, then turned for the hallway. Kim turned to Monique. "I have a nightgown you can wear to bed," she said, "or a long t-shirt like I have on, if you want that."

"Frannie can wear one of mine," added Kimi.

"T-shirt'll work," said Monique. "Thanks."

"You guys are still more or less on normal hours," said Zach. "When we were on the road, we were like cats. We'd go for a few hours, then stop for a bite to eat and nap for a few hours...then go again."

"Yeah," said Kim. "When it started getting so hot out, everyone started working the overnight shift—" she stopped for a second as she remembered the tragic event which brought about the altered hours at Meridian "—and sleeping...during the day," she finished in a bit softer voice.

William re-entered the room, two blankets slung over one forearm and two pillows under the other, with the lamp in that hand. He stopped at the end of the couch, Frannie taking a blanket and pillow and resting them on the arm of the couch. William lifted his head to Monique as she was sipping her water. "I'll show you where my office is," he said. Monique rose to join him, and the two started into the hallway.

Kimi watched for a moment, following the strange lighting accompanying her father and her friend as they disappeared into the room opposite her bedroom. She turned to Kim. "I wanted to ask you something while Moni's not in the room," she said in a low voice. "When that light thing happened last week...did you...feel anything from it...?"

Kim nodded slowly. "After it happened...the more I was out in it...the weaker I got. By the time we had walked home from work, your father had to carry me into the house."

Kimi looked away slightly. "...Yeah...it happened just as we were getting on a bus for home...then it wouldn't start. None of the buses would run. We were out in it for less than an hour before we went back to our dorm room...by the time we got there, I felt kind of tired, like I do when I work out for too long...but we had to help Monique to the room...she could barely stand up. After we got in, she crashed in a chair and slept for almost a whole day."

"It was weird," added Zach. "Frannie and I felt just fine."

"The radio had said it was affecting lots of Cellers," said Kim.

"Yeah," echoed Kimi, "in more than one way. We heard there had been some trouble near the Grand Canyon after the light thingy went away...a couple of stores got broken into...and some attack at a National Guard base...there was some fight or something..."

Kim's mind again raced back to the morning of the attack in the Market Square, and the discussions before with the owner of the bookstore, in which she had learned of the death of Miss Kris' brother, and the seemingly unnatural circumstances surrounding it. "I didn't hear it on the radio," she said softly, remembering the accusatory, almost haunting tone in Shawn's words, "...but someone told me about it..."

"I didn't believe it when I heard it," said Kimi. "Neither did Monique...and I'm still not sure I do now. They didn't say which Cellers were involved in the attack...but even if they did, it still wouldn't make any sense...Cellers aren't violent...not violent enough to kill someone." Her eyes returned to her mother, who was finishing her sandwich. "It made you and Moni just...tired...and weak...not violent."

Kim nodded slowly in agreement for a second – then lifted her head in the direction of the hallway. "You all set up?"

"Sure am," replied Monique, who emerged from the end of the hallway with William. She moved to the couch, picking up her plate from the table and retaking her seat. "The couch is way comfy. In fact, it told me to come out and finish this and then come back to bed."

"Good call by the couch," said Kimi after swallowing another bite. "This is all about worth staying up for."

"Oh, yeah," echoed Rufus.

Frannie set her plate onto the table, naught but a small length of crust left on it. She then reached for her water. "Sure was," she said before taking a small drink and returning the cup to the table. "Now I think it's time to not stay up any more."

Kimi smiled in Frannie's direction. "Another good call. A nice soft bed is going to be like Heaven after three days of sleeping bags," she said, motioning to the two tightly-wrapped cloth rolls tied to either side of the rear wheel of each of the bicycles.

Kimi's statement acted almost as a cue. Kim and the four young adults rose to their feet nearly in unison, Frannie, Monique and Kim shuffling to their right between the couch and the coffee table. William bent to pick up the taser from the table, handing it to Kim, then took the pistol, sliding the clip back into it and checking the safety before slipping it into the waist of his jeans.

Kimi moved her hand toward the table to collect Rufus and return him to the pocket of her jacket. She and Zach moved around the table to the couch, where they engaged in a short hug. They parted slightly, and Kimi softly caressed Zach's cheek as she leaned up to place a kiss on his lips. "'Night, Z...sleep good."

She then turned, picking up her backpack and crossing the living room to the hallway and her father, who was standing at the doorway to her bedroom, with Frannie just inside with her own backpack, and Monique to their right, at the entrance to William's office. They were joined by Kim who returned from the bedroom holding another small lamp and a long oversized t-shirt, which she handed to Monique.

The grin of happiness and relief on Kim's face returned as she turned to the girls. "I'm so glad you're all here," she said.

"It's good to be here, Mrs. H," said Frannie. "It's good to be somewhere familiar and safe."

"I'm going to sleep sooo good tonight," added Monique.

Kim's grin grew a little more as she turned to gather Monique into her arms. "That will definitely make more than one of us," she smiled, hugging her costar and good friend from the show a little closer and savoring another avenue of thankful warmth. She then turned back to the others. "Yes, everyone get a good rest tonight. I'll go over to Carrie and John's in the morning and see what we can whip up for breakfast on their wood stove."

Zach looked up from opening his blanket onto the couch. "Aw, yeah. Hot food beats Slim Jims and Twinkies for breakfast any day."

Monique and Kimi traded a quick look. Monique snorted out a "Yeah" through a sudden chuckle.

Kimi joined in, giggling as she turned to hug William with her free right arm. "'Night, Dad," she said, landing a quick peck on his cheek. "Love you."

"I love you, Ki," said William, warmly returning the embrace. "It's really good that you're home."

Kim's smile remained as her daughter turned to her. "Really good that you all made it home. Here's a lamp for you two."

Kimi took the lamp with her right hand, and slid her other arm around Kim, drawing her close. "Love you, Mom," she said. "I'm glad I'm home...and I'm glad that you weren't hurt worse in that fight." Rufus lent his own embrace against Kim's waist as she and Kimi hugged.

Kim took the moment to take in the welcome touch, patting Kimi's back lightly – then was stopped by the whisper in her ear:

"No worries, Mom...sleeping in the same room with Zach tonight was never on my mind."

Their eyes met as they parted, and the grin Kim still wore now had the light coating of sheepish guilt mixed in.

Kimi then turned to enter the bedroom. "Let's hit it, Fra," she said, reaching for the door. "After a rest and a meal, we can go watch your mom go nuts about you being home." Her last action was a quick wink to her mother just before closing the door.

William slid his arm around Kim. "...still worried?" he asked softly.

Kim shifted her grin to her husband, now showing more of the sheepish shame. "Worried? About what, dear?"

William gave a soft chuckle. "Good night, everyone," he called over his shoulder. A mix of voices returning "Good Night" prompted him and Kim to their bedroom.

They had taken but two steps in that direction when a shuffling "thump" came from beyond the door of Kimi's bedroom, accompanied quickly by a loud thud and shuffling sounds, and punctuated with a muffled "Ahh...dammit."

Kim turned around quickly, leaning slightly in that direction. "Ki?"

"It's okay," came from behind the closed door. "No damage. I went to toss my backpack into my chair and it fell over. It's just notebooks and stuff...my bike lock..."

Kim flashed a concerned look back to William, then turned again toward the bedroom door. "...your gun?"

"No," came the reply amongst more shuffling sounds, "it's still in the pouch. It's got a strong snap." The sounds continued, small thumps of items being placed on her desk. "I'll repack this in the morning," Kimi said in a softer voice.

Kim hesitated for a few seconds. "Okay," she said. "G'night...sleep well."

"'K...g'night."

Kim turned back toward her bedroom, replacing her arm around William's waist. "And that's what I have planned...sleeping well."

William nodded with a slight smile. "Yep...with the kids all home, all that's left to worry about now is getting the Earth rotating again and getting society and industry up and running."

Kim stopped and looked up at her husband's sarcasm. "Yeah," she responded rather drippingly behind a smirk, "but...one step at a time...all that can prooobably wait until the weekend."

They chuckled softly as they entered the bedroom. William stood by while Kim slowly settled into the bed on her stomach, then brought up the covers to just over her shoulders. He leaned down to softly press his lips against hers. "G'night, Hon...sleep good...you deserve it."

"I do," smiled Kim, nuzzling a bit against her pillow. "Now get under here and deserve it with me."

William gave a soft tuck of the covers at Kim's left side. "I'd like nothing better." He walked around the bed, slipping off his jeans and sitting, sliding them off his legs and slipping under the covers.

A ripple of warm tingles radiated over Kim as she felt the soft caress of William's hand settling onto her lower back. This coupled with the warmth of Kimi being home seemed to pull her further into her pillow. _My family is home together and safe,_ she thought as the first fingers of sleep began to ease her into its comforting embrace. _Other than the visual bruises and still a little soreness, I'm almost over my injuries from the fight in the Market. Even in the midst of disaster, there are still some things that one can smile about._

_Thank you._

There was still a smile lingering on Kim's face as she floated into the welcome quiet of sleep. _I wonder if Carrie has enough eggs to scramble to feed this bunch...maybe Himself can run down to the grocer in the morning..._

to be continued...


	8. Revelare

**8. Revelare**

Friday, July 4th, 2025  
9:52 AM.  
The soft glow of a portable lamp slowly floated through the doorway of the bedroom, Kim's shape lit as she quietly emerged into the hallway. _Mid-morning,_ she thought, looking toward the entrance to the kitchen. _There should be crazy daylight coming through the back shades. I shouldn't need to have a light on at this time of day._

She gave an soft internal sigh as she continued a bit down the hallway. _Go go Gadget Daytime._

A sudden "snork" from the living room startled Kim to freeze about four feet from the edge of the doorway to the kitchen. A softer, more drawn out repeat of the sound eased her into a slight grin. _Snoring...wonder if Ki is aware. As close as they are, they must have at least talked about it._

_...if she hasn't heard it first-hand._

She began again to advance to the edge of the hallway, peering around the corner into the kitchen and looking to the sliding glass doors leading to the back patio. _No surprise there...Sun is still stalled...or something..._

Kim retreated back a bit into the hallway, looking again into the living room as an arm slipped from the edge of the couch and a hand thudded lightly against the floor. _Not counting for Ki's high standards, she could certainly have done way worse. So...she's 21 now...and he's 28...they're both adults now, and very smart. Zach is a good fit for Ki. He's easy to get along with...he's a good friend to everyone. He knows how to work with her in Karate. He doesn't push her by the book like most of her other instructors had tried to do...it's more like he just points her in a direction she already knows she needs to go, and he lets her desire to excel do the pushing. They've been working together since she was 12...guess it would have to happen. They've spent a lot of time together, both in and out of the gym. They've had nine years to get close in Karate...why not in other areas, too?_

Kim turned back into the hallway, softly padding to the door to Kimi's bedroom. She quietly eased the door open, leaning slightly inside, the soft light from the lamp illuminating the two shapes under the covers. Both women were sleeping on their side. Frannie had her arms wrapped around her pillow, snugging it close to the side of her head. Kimi was on the near side of the bed, more on her stomach, one leg drawn up slightly, one arm under her pillow and the other draped slightly off the edge of the bed, bringing a small smirk to Kim's face. _...looks like they have more in common than just the Karate._ She softly placed a hand on the doorknob, beginning to close the door. _Get another hour or so of sleep, guys,_ she thought. _I'll see if Carrie is up and we'll get a good breakfast together to celebrate everyone being home._

Kim stopped before closing the door to look at Kimi's desk, which had sat vacant since she left for college two years before, but now with the contents of her backpack hastily sprawled onto it after the spill the night before – spiral notebooks, some paperbacks, a few mini-disks surrounding her MD player and the small plastic pouch containing her wireless earbud headphones connected to the carry strap – it looked like it might after a week of high school. Kim looked at the blue notebook on the top of the stack, with "Big Z" scrawled in pen at the lower right corner and circled several times. _Heh, _Kim chuckled in thought. _High-schoolish crush display much, Ki?_

Kim's attention was drawn to a sheet of paper hanging partly out of the notebook, covered in Kimi's handwriting, characterized by a severe slant to the right. She slid it from the notebook and brought it closer, her brow furrowing slightly as she read:

_Kempo showers  
Showed the cowards  
I didn't come to mess around  
Heat exhaustion and mind distortion  
A martial arts tragedy  
Mounted on far-away ground_

_Hearing voices from miles away  
Saying things never said  
Seeing shadows in the light of the day  
Waging the War inside my head_

_Years and years of Liquid Murder  
My mission was mainly to get in and wail  
A broken vacation of mint leaves and Tahini  
Trading innocence for four weeks of psychotic Hell_

_Feeling strangers staring my way  
Reading thoughts never read  
Tasting danger with each word I'd say  
Waging the War inside my head_

Kim slowly read over the words again. _War inside— a poem about the kidnapping in Cairo? why would Ki still be focused on that? It was six years ago. It was the darkest part of all of our lives...hardly worth writing poetry about. It was a miracle that we got though it and it all turned out alright...and it actually ended in a happy moment for us, not to mention one of the happiest events for the Celler environment. It ended with Ki's return from the Celler environment, and The Fall of Cynicism. The Dream born from a nightmare. Why wouldn't Ki remember that part of it instead of writing about the worst of it?_

Kim slipped the paper back onto the notebook and quietly closed the door, standing in the hallway for a moment. _Wish I knew when she wrote that. It had to have been before the stuff going on now...or maybe it's because of it. Either way, I'd feel better knowing why this memory might still be haunting my daughter years later._

She then turned back for her own bedroom to get a pair of shoes for the walk next door. _Maybe being home again will chase the ghosts away._

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

11:13 AM.

A soft knock came at Kimi's bedroom door. "You guys up?"

"Come on in, Dad," said Kimi. "We're up and decent."

William opened the door, his now ever-present lamp in hand. "Morning," he smiled.

Kimi was standing beside the bed and was tying up the drawstrings on a pair of sweatpants she had gotten from the dresser. "G'morning," she said, giving the knot an extra tug and straightening her long t-shirt over it.

Frannie looked back from the other side of the bed past her raised knee. She had on a pair of sweatpants Kimi had lent her, and was pulling up the second of a clean pair of socks. "Morning, Mr. H."

William motioned his arm through the doorway into the room, as if sweeping the air in. "We were just wondering," he said, bringing his hand up near his nose, "if you two were in the mood for a good breakfast..."

Frannie sniffed at the air as she stood. "Is...is that...toast...?"

A grin slid onto William's face. "Well, toast is one of the best things to have with scrambled eggs, wouldn't you say?"

"Eggs?" Frannie perked. "You mean, for-real cooked eggs?" William nodded, and she raced around the bed. "All a-_BOUT s_ave _me_ a place!" William had to back slightly from the doorway as the blonde streak moved past him.

Kimi giggled. joining her father at the doorway and the two started down the hall. By the time they had reached the entrance to the dining area, lit now by several of the small portable lamps, Frannie was already seated at the table next to Monique and across from Zach, her face brimming with expectation of the fresh meal Kim and Carrie, the slightly stocky blonde neighbor about three inches shorter than Kim, had brought from next door. Each of them offered a "Morning, Ki" as she entered the dining area.

Kimi walked to the table, returning the morning greetings with a wave, stopping at Zach's chair. "Morning, Z," she said, leaning down to the young man dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, scooping his chin in her hand and landing her lips directly onto his. She gave his ponytail a small teasing flip before moving toward the island in the kitchen, where her mother was stirring a large bowl of just-cooked eggs. "Anything I can help with?" she asked.

Kim looked up, smiling. "Yep, get a butter knife and some plastic forks out of the drawer, and a small plate out of the cupboard...then get the butter for the toast out of the bag on the counter." Kimi turned behind her to the drawer where the flatware was kept, setting a knife from it onto the counter, then sliding out a small box and counting out forks for everyone.

"I can't believe it smells so good," said Frannie. "Where did the eggs come from?"

Zach's expression slipped into a bit of thoughtful reflection. "I can't say for sure," he said, tapping his cheek, "but my guess would be that it involved...some sort of chicken..."

Frannie's brow lowered in exasperation at the young man. "Gee...thank you, Mr. Wizard," she grumbled, wadding up a paper napkin and tossing it at him as the rest of the room erupted into restrained chuckles.

"Hm-hm-hm," Kim giggled. "Actually, they came from the grocer. We gave Zach some money to go down there this morning."

"I know that times are bad right now," Zach said, "but I still can't believe they charged $50 for two dozen eggs...and another $20 for the butter."

Kimi opened a cupboard and got a small plate, setting that on the counter next to the knife. She then reached into a paper sack on the counter, pulling out a box of butter sticks. "Wow," she said, adjusting to hold the box by her fingertips as she set it onto the plate, then turned for the island where Carrie had placed a large woven basket covered with cloth, "that's cold."

"Yeah," said Zach. "They had a lot of stuff on ice so it would stay good for a while."

Kimi placed the butter down next to the basket. "Okay...that's weird. How do they have ice, with all the power out?" Her head shifted to Kim. "And how did you know they would have eggs?"

Kim continued to swirl a wooden spoon through the large bowl. "I was talking with the Eric the clerk when I went down there last weekend," she replied as Kimi moved toward the dining room table. "He said to tell you hi, by the way...he told me how Bob had rigged up the ice machine to run off the generator. As for the eggs, he said they were expecting a shipment by horse and wagon this week...I guess it was less knowing...and more like hoping."

"Speaking of knowing and hoping," said Frannie as Kimi laid a fork in front of her, "I know I'm hoping those eggs taste as good as they smell."

Monique nodded. "Yeah...I can't wait to get into a piece of that toast."

"How did you make the toast?" Kimi asked.

"It's part of what came with the stove when John got it," said Carrie. "It's metal, and kind of..." She held up her hands to form an open triangle shape. "Well, think of a pyramid with the top cut off. It sits on one of the burners on the top of the stove. You set a slice of bread on each side of it. There are holes on each side where the heat comes up through. After a couple of minutes you turn the bread around to toast the other side. We have two of them, so I can make eight slices at once."

Kim brought the bowl over to the table along with some paper plates. She handed the plates to William, who took one and passed the rest to the left to Frannie. Kim took her chair at one end of the table and handed the bowl to William, seated at her left. Carrie, meanwhile, had opened the box of butter, unwrapping one of the cubes onto the plate. She brought this and the knife over to the table, along with the basket. She set them all onto the center of the table. "Voila," she smiled, lifting the cloth from the basket to reveal the inviting sight of several warm slices of toast, all a rich shade of deep brownish gold. She motioned the knife and butter plate to Monique, seated to the left of where she was standing at the table. "Dig in," she said. "You can get your toast buttered while waiting for the eggs to come around. That's a whole loaf of bread...enough for plenty for everyone."

Monique grinned widely, reaching to the basket as Carrie set the plate and knife on the table just to her right. "Count _that_," she said, bringing two slices to her plate. She took the knife from the butter plate, sliding it into the butter and bringing it to one of the slices of toast, spreading it over the darkened bread. She applied butter to her other slice, then moved the plate and knife to Kim's corner of the table.

Frannie also had a wide smile as she was passed the bowl from William. "Eggy weggs, eggy weggs, happy yellow eggy weggs," she chimed, dancing a bit in her chair, digging the wooden spoon into the mixture and bringing out a full scoop.

Kim smiled at the exuberance of her daughter's young blonde friend. She took a pat of butter from the small plate and applied it to a slice of toast, then moved it to the table corner to her left for her husband. As she turned back, she looked to Monique, who was sitting motionless, her head back slightly and her eyes closed. Kim reached to place a soft touch to the young black woman's forearm. "You okay?"

"Yep," Monique replied, not changing her expression – then slowly opening her eyes to Kim. "I'm just absorbing the atmosphere before it all gets ate up."

"The atmosphere will be around for a little while," said Zach, receiving the bowl of eggs from Kimi, seated to his right at the end of the table, "but right now, I'll be absorbing this food." He took a healthy scoop of eggs from the bowl, almost ceremoniously letting them settle onto the paper plate in front of him and seeming to pay them silent culinary homage while passing the bowl to his left to Monique. He motioned for the basket of bread, which Kimi passed across the table to him, and took two of the slices of toast. He sat for a moment, staring at his plate of food before turning to Kim. "Thanks, Mrs. H," he said, responded to by Kim's wide grin. "This whole meal is just the deep hard bang."

Any activity at the Hodge table ceased at Zach's utterance with the immediacy of a choreographed prompt. There was no sound at the table for a few seconds, broken first by Frannie's plastic fork dropping from her hand to her plate. Kim's expression did not change except for the addition of a slight awning of awkward worry formed by her brow. A rather conspicuous cough from Frannie caused Zach to look quickly in that direction – then down toward the table as he realized that every eye in the room was now on him.

"Ah—umm," Kimi stuttered with a sheepish grin, "—of course, Mr. Corello had _intended_ to say, 'deep _blue_ bang'. That's what he actually really meant." She brought up a hand, scratching slowly just below her ear and turning her head slightly. "In...fact, let's just go ahead and be all about assume that's what he actually really said." Zach lifted his head with a slight smile of embarrassed thanks as Kimi nodded, "yep...deep _blue_ bang."

"Carrie?" asked Kim, "there's more than enough eggs and toast...go get John and join us...we have extra chairs."

"Love to, Hon," smiled Carrie, "but we already ate. We had oatmeal around 8."

Kim suddenly perked to her husband. "Oatmeal! I almost forgot! Honey? Would you go out to the deep freeze for our other little surprise?" Frannie and Monique turned to watch as William rose from the table for the garage, then to Kim, who was sporting a grin but said nothing further.

Their attention turned back to the direction of the kitchen as William returned through the door to the garage carrying a small paper sack. He stopped at the sink to collect the small stack of plastic cups from the meal early in the morning that had been washed and dried, then continued back to the table, setting the cups onto it. "we could use something good to wash down this good food," he said, reaching into the sack.

Frannie was the first to react as William's hand emerged from the sack, her face popping into wide surprise. "...milk!?"

"Fresh from the grocer," Zach said. "Mrs. H said to pick some up if they had it."

"Sweet!" perked Monique.

William removed the ring from the cap of the gallon of milk and reached for one of the cups, filling it and passing it to Frannie, then filling another of the cups and handing it to Monique.

Monique smiled as she took the cup. "Ooh," she exclaimed, "it's cold!"

"It was almost completely frozen when I picked it up," said Zach. "They're keeping a lot of stuff on ice."

Monique nodded. "Makes sense," she said as she brought the cup to her mouth. Her eyes melted into dreamy slits as she took a drink of the chilly liquid. "That's just the bessst," she moaned as she settled the cup on the table. "I'm saving the rest for when I'm done eating."

"Hot food and ice-cold milk," grinned Frannie. "Let's hear it for Mrs. H and Mrs. Kalecki...the Breakfast Black Belts!" She turned to the other end of the table, applauding toward Kim and Carrie, joined in by the others.

"Please, you guys," Kim grinned through a blush. "The praise should go to Carrie...she's got the stove to cook all this. I just...provided a place to eat it."

"In that case," Carrie tittered, "the praise should actually go to John. He restored that old stove from a rusted shell a little under a year ago after someone dumped it in the back yard of his auto shop. He spent about three months just grinding the rust out of it and another month getting it ready for the polish."

Kimi brought a slice of toast from her plate. "I have to go with Frannie to her mother's house," she said, "but after that, I wouldn't mind seeing the stove. It sounds kind of neat." She then bit into the toast, her expression relaying her appraisal. "Mmm! This is really good! I'd like to see those metal toaster thingies in action."

"It does really well with English muffins and bagels, too," said Carrie. "Someone told us you can do Pop-Tarts, but the ones with the frosting would probably be messy."

Kimi was readying to take another bite when her eyes widened and her head flashed to her mother. "Oooh! All about spaghetti!" she burst in an excited tone, as if the meal were already simmering nearby. "A great big giganenormongus pot. Enough for anyone who could come." She turned to Zach for a second. "Did they have any meat at the grocer?" Kimi then turned to Monique. "You _have_ to have Mom's s'ghetti. All about slow cook all day long and worth any wait."

Kimi now turned quickly to Frannie, holding up her slice of toast, waving it slightly, her expression becoming an almost teasing sneer;

"Garlic...toast..."

Frannie responded to the tempting imagery with a drawn-out high-pitched whimper of a moan, her eyes slipping closed as Kimi continued, making sweeping gestures with her hand. "Toast with garlic butter on it! The toast thingies can make eight slices at a time. All about plenty for everyone—" she suddenly held up a finger with a grin "—and some with just regular butter if Aunt Tina comes over 'cause garlic doesn't—"

Kimi stopped at a sudden quiet, sharp gasp from the other end of the table. She looked to her mother, who had an expression as if she had just been punched in the stomach.

"...Mom?"

The soft inquiry caused Kim to turn away from the table, shivering slightly with her head cast toward the floor, her eyes tightly closed in a pained wince. She suddenly rose from her chair and quickly went into the hallway.

Kimi watched Kim's hasty exit from the dining room, concerned and baffled by her mother's behavior. Her eyes turned to her father and her mouth opened as if starting to speak.

William brought a hand a bit from the table, shaking his head slightly. "Be right back," he said, taking his paper towel from his lap and placing it next to his plate as he stood and left the room.

Kimi stared at the corner of the hallway for a few seconds as her father disappeared around it. She then turned back to Zach and Monique, still with her look of concern. "What just happened...?"

Zach offered nothing but a slow shake of the head and the same dumbfounded, semi-shocked expression Kimi wore.

Monique gave a slight shrug. "...Bad experience with garlic toast?"

Kimi reached to take one of the lamps from the table. "I don't think so," she said, rising from her chair and turning for the hallway.

As Kimi left the room, Carrie settled into Kim's chair with a soft sigh and a slightly worn expression, looking first to Zach, then to Monique.

In the bedroom, William moved to sit on the bed beside Kim, who reached for a tissue from the nightstand to wipe at her eye. "I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I—I wasn't expecting that..."

William softly drifted a palm over the center of Kim's back. "When Ki came home, we should have talked...we knew this would have to be part of it...sooner or later..."

Kim slowly settled her head on her husband's shoulder. "I know," she sighed slowly. "I just think it should be a little later...after she's...settled in a little more. I just don't know of a good way to tell her without—"

Kim stopped at a growing light at the doorway of the bedroom, accenting the shadow moving against the wall as Kimi approached. Kim gave another quick wipe at her eyes and looked up as her daughter appeared at the edge of the doorway. "Mom?" Kimi asked cautiously. "Did I...do something...?"

Kim traded a quick look with William, then looked back to Kimi, trying to keep her composure. William rose from the bed, standing slightly aside as Kim patted the bed beside her. "Sit down, Honey," she offered softly, trying hard to keep the waver out of her voice.

William offered to take the lamp as Kimi moved to sit. The worrisome look of her mother's face gave Kimi the cold twinge inside that something was coming.

Kim blinked hard and swallowed, taking Kimi's hand, trying not to communicate her trembling. She blinked again, stifling tears and calling up a mother's resolve to be strong for a child. "Ki," she said, bracing inside, "...Tina—is...gone."

The soft squeeze of Kim's hand and the quiver in her eyes peeled away any interpretation of the words other than the dark message they carried. Kimi tried to blink in her disbelief, but kept her gaze locked on her mother, looking for anything that might dispel what she had just heard. "...g-gone?" she stuttered, her voice weakening at the news, her mouth dropping into a frown. "She's...dead?"

"A little less than a month ago," said William quietly.

Kimi's voice further splintered as she searched for words through her sinking vortex of emotions. "Wh— how..."

Kim fought to remain strong as she watched her daughter's expression begin to fall apart, a tear racing down her cheek followed by another. "Sh-she had a heat stroke," she started, "when it was s-so hot out...they took her to the hospital right away...but a blood vessel burst in her brain—" she reached to clasp her other hand around Kimi's "—there was nothing they could do..."

Kim felt the grasp of Kimi's hand melt away; her face drew into a distraught cringe as her emotion overtook her. "A-Aunt Tina...aww Momm-mm, nnoo..." her voice frittering to a frail, helpless squeak. Kim reached to gather in her daughter as she fell forward into her arms, collapsing into feeble choking sobs, clutching onto Kim's nightshirt.

Kim lifted her crimsoned eyes to William, tears now streaking her own cheeks. She gave a slight motion to the door.

William nodded slowly and turned for the door, his own expression pulled into sadness at watching his daughter learn of the untimely passing of a close family friend. As he moved down the hallway, he heard similar sounds from the dining room.

William reentered the dining room, met by Carrie, who also wore the look of one who had borne bad news. The sobbing he heard was coming from Frannie, now weeping into Monique's embrace.

"They know," said William softly.

Carrie looked to the table, then back to William. "They asked," she said, wiping at an eye as she returned to the chair.

Zach was sitting with his chin resting on his clasped hands. He lifted his head to William. "How is Ki taking this...?"

William cast his eyes to Zach and shook his head slowly, giving him a silent but expected answer. "In fact, it you could..."

Zach brought up a hand. "Say no more, Mr. H," he said, "I'll absolutely take Frannie home, whenever she's ready." William nodded his thanks.

Frannie immediately brought her head from Monique's chest at this. "I want to go...soon," she said, "but I want to talk to Ki first." Zach nodded as Frannie stood, taking her paper towel napkin with her to dab at her nose.

William motioned an arm to the hallway. "They're in our bedroom," he said. As Frannie walked past him into the hallway, he moved to sit in the chair he had left and removed his glasses to rub at his eyes a bit, as if trying to squeeze out a bit of the stress.

"This has got to be rough on Ki," Zach said. "I know what it's like to lose a close family friend. My mother had a friend who was like a sister to her...she died about ten years ago when she was hit by a car."

"Tina was close to all of us," William said, replacing his glasses. "Kim and I had known her ever since she started at Meridian on the same day Kim did. They kind of went up through the ranks together...Tina was almost always working at Kim's side, and grew close with Marcy as well. They hung out a lot together, just like sisters." He now settled back a bit in his chair, bringing up his hands and interlocking them, extending his index fingers to rest under his chin, his eyes focused near the end of the table the other two were seated at. "Tina was almost like family...finding this out is hitting Kimi as hard as it did her mother."

William now raised his head from his fingers, turning more directly to Zach with a bit of a smile. "Ki shares a lot of things with her mother," he said. "One of them is love for family...and another is resiliency. She gets a lot of her strength from her mother."

William felt a soft touch sliding across his shoulders. "She gets a lot of it from her friends too," said Kim. "She has good friends —" she looked to Zach, smiling and placing her other hand on his shoulder "—and she has you. She has lots of strength to draw from."

Zach affirmed Kim's statement with a short nod, then looked up at her. "I'm sorry to hear about Tina," he said. "All that bad weather was ugly for the whole world, but I didn't think it would hurt anyone so close. How is Ki?"

"She's talking with Frannie. Then she's going to lie down for a bit," Kim said.

Zach drank the last of his milk and stood. "I'll go get my shoes on." He stopped after a step, turning to Kim. "You know, Mrs. H, I'm really lucky to know Ki," he said. "I know that, and anyone else who knows her feels the same...but she's luckier to have you and Mr. H for parents. I don't think she would be who she is if she didn't have parents who are as close to her and as willing to give as you." Zach now turned more to the both of them. "And she shows that every day...and I think I'm lucky for seeing it." He touched his hand to Kim's upper arm. "Thank you, both of you...for making Ki the way she is." Zach then turned to continue to the living room.

William scooted his chair back a bit and Kim settled onto the chair Zach had just left. "I don't know if it's just me," he said in a low voice, "or if everything else is just screwing up my thought process, but...why do I feel like we were just buttered up for something just now?"

Monique quickly put a hand up to her mouth, snorting out a snicker, and even Kim stifled a giggle through her nose. "Well, Ki and Z _are_ an item now, I think," she said. "What would be the big if he _was_ 'buttering us up'?"

"Well...I would think that Zach should know that he doesn't have to 'butter us up' for anything...I know he cares deeply for Ki, and she for him...and he and we get along very well."

"Maybe he's into the tradition thing."

William slumped into a bit of a mock frown. "That would figure," he said. "It would mean he knows tradition dictates that the father of the bride usually pays for the wedding."

Kim and Monique exchanged a quick look and again broke into a quick soft giggle. Kim rose and slid her arms around William's shoulders. "You are just priceless, you know that?"

"Just like you trained me," quipped William, earning him another chuckle and an extra squeeze.

Kim then straightened, leaving her hands resting on her husband's shoulders as she turned to Monique. "He's also trained to say that whenever I tell him what he's worth," she smirked, bringing more laughter from Monique.

12:09 PM.

"Ready when you are."

"'K, I just want to get the rest of the stuff off the bike."

"Okay...and Ki wants to see you before we go."

Frannie appeared in the doorway after the short exchange with Zach in the living room. She had changed into a clean t-shirt and jeans that Kimi had given her. She carried her backpack in one hand and her jacket in the other. While she had brushed out her hair and arranged it into a loose bun, her face was not as easily freshened, appearing a bit weathered. She set the backpack down to lean against the jamb of the doorway and slowly settled herself against it as well. "Guess I'm ready to go."

Kim rose from the table. "I wish I could see your mother's face when you come through the door. I can just imagine how happy she'll be to see you home."

Frannie broke into a bit of a smirk. "About as happy as you were to see Ki," she said, "but with more drama. Mom's always been way emotional." She then gave a small sigh. "I know just about how it will go...she'll be insane glad to see me, and I'll be insane glad to see her and that she's alright...then we'll cry in each other's arms and catch up for about an hour—" she turned her head for a quick glance toward the hallway and her friend's closed bedroom door "—but I think I should be grateful that it'll be a...a good kind of crying..."

Kim put on the knowing smile of a mother as she cupped a hand under Frannie's chin, lifting her face slightly. "In a way, that's what Ki is doing, too. Letting it out is always better than trying to keep it inside...and sometimes, getting through bad news can actually make you stronger." She patted Frannie's upper arm a couple of times. "Go and share with your mom the good news that you're home. Ki's going to get some good news a little later today. Wade wanted me to get in touch with him when Ki made it home so he could relay that to Mark."

Frannie's eyes widened a bit. "Ooh, the big guy. Ki has been talking about him ever since she got her semester grades. Something about wanting him to help her with something about her guns..."

Zach joined them at the doorway, slipping his jacket over his shoulders. "We're all set," he said. "I'll go talk with Ki and then we can go." Frannie nodded as Zach continued into the hallway to Kimi's bedroom door, knocking softly before he entered the room.

"Mark said he wanted to come down from the Air Base once he found out Ki was home," said Kim. "He and Wade think they might know what's going on with the Earth and the weather and everything."

Frannie was a bit puzzled. "Come...down? You mean, like, on horse or something?"

"I don't know. Mark said that Wade was helping them to get some things running. He didn't say if that meant vehicles too."

Frannie shook her head slightly. "Leave it to the government to get around even Mother Nature's worst."

"Well," Kim smirked, "it doesn't hurt to have a super-genius working for you, either. When we first got a connection, Wade even had all his computers up and running." She then looked a bit to the side. "Then again, he did say that the frequencies are a little different in the Celler environment..."

"Wonder if Wade can get the electricity up and running here as well."

"I'll have to ask him," Kim said. "If he can, I'll be sure to have him get things going at your house, too."

"Maybe Wade can get the whole world running again," Frannie mused, then paused a bit. "...but it still wouldn't solve the thing about the world not turning."

Kim's expression darkened a little. "Yeah...that might be beyond even Wade's powers..."

Frannie slipped into a slight bit of reflection. "...too bad this isn't a script from one of your shows," she said softly. "No matter how bad it got, toward the end of the episode, Wade always worked out a plan to fix it."

"Yeah," said Kim, lifting a hand into the air, "and then I'd just slip into my super suit and whiz off on my jet pack with Ron to take down the bad guys and undo whatever they were trying to do...but this isn't a script...and even on the show, no matter what the bad guys were planning, it never got this ugly...or this...deadly..."

Zach re-entered the hallway after closing Kimi's door. He was putting on a pair of leather half-finger gloves. "Ki is going to take a nap. She said she's holding up alright." He turned to Frannie. "Ready?"

Frannie nodded – then turned to reach to Kim. "Thanks for everything, Mrs. H," she said.

"It was nothing," returned Kim with a hug.

Frannie shook her head as they parted. "Huh-uh...in a time when there is almost nothing...anything is something."

Zach tightened the strap at the top of one of his gloves, snugging it into place. "After I take Frannie home, I'm going to ride over to my parents' house and let them know I'm here."

"I hope they're coping as well as we are," said Kim.

"My dad is a take-charge kinda guy," Zach said. "I'll bet they're doing okay...but they'll want to know that I'm alright. I'll tell them I'm staying here with Ki and you guys...and that I'm going to come back here to find out how Ki is doing."

"Yeah," Frannie added, "me too. I'm going to stay for a day or so, but I want to come back just as soon as I make sure Mom is doing okay and see if anyone else is around to help her with stuff."

Kim's brow peaked a little. "I'm...not sure it's the best idea for you to be walking around these streets by yourself..."

"I have an idea," said Zach. "Keep track on your watch. It's about 20 after 12 now. I'll come back by your house in about 24 hours and bring you back here, if you're ready. If not, we'll work out a time that's good, and I'll come back here 'til then."

"Can't ask for a better escort," Kim grinned.

Frannie smiled at Zach, then slipped on her jacket and turned to retrieve her backpack from the floor, sliding it onto one shoulder. She then reached to hug Kim again with her free arm. "Thanks again, Mrs. H," she said. "I'll see you guys soon." Frannie motioned a finger to Monique, still seated at the table with William. "See you soon, Moni."

Monique nodded once. "Keep it real, Girlfriend."

Zach went into the living room to take his backpack from the handlebars of one of the bikes, slipping an arm through one of the straps, then swinging it behind him, catching the other strap and hoisting the pack onto his shoulders. He then went around to the other side of the bike, tipping it to its wheels and sweeping the kickstand up. "I need someone to hold the doors open while I take the bike out."

"I'll get the doors," said Kim, walking into the front foyer, "you guys just go."

Frannie moved toward the foyer, snugging the straps of her backpack into place as Zach picked the bike up by its crossbar and turned it around to face the front door. Frannie continued out onto the front porch, holding the outside door, at the same time zipping up her jacket against the stiff breeze which had been present from the day the planet ceased its rotation. Zach guided the bike through the open doors, followed by Kim who caught the outside door and closed it, watching as Zach rolled the bike out onto the walk and mounted it, keeping it steady as Frannie straddled the rear seat. The two of them waved and then pushed off together, Zach switching on a small headlamp as they rolled down the driveway and into the deserted street for the two-block ride to Frannie's house.

Kim gave a small wave as they slipped into the darkness, then stood at the door for a few more seconds, looking up to the sky, still the same unchanging pre-dawn indigo it had been for more than a week.

_Okay...you win. Enough hide-and-seek. Sunny Sunny Oxen Free._

Kim slowly closed and locked the door and walked back through the living room into the kitchen. Monique had stood and was walking around the table collecting the used plastic forks and paper plates, leaving one on the table and sliding bits of food from each plate onto it with one of the forks. She looked up as Kim entered the room. "I thought I'd help with the dishes."

"Nonsense!" said Kim, a silly smile on her face, "you're a guest. You shouldn't be doing the heavy chores." She turned to William. "How could you let her do this instead of taking care of it?"

William sat back a bit in his chair. "Hey, I'm still worn out from lugging that big heavy milk all the way from the garage," he said, turning to hang an arm over the back of the chair. "Monique recognized that, so she's graciously collecting the dishes while I rest up."

Monique let out a quick giggle. "Yep, he looks just exhausted from all that heavy milk."

Kim rolled her eyes at her mocking husband with a bit of a devilish grin. "Yeah, Milk Boy will need a little rest." She crossed the room to the trash container, removing the cover and lifting out the plastic bag, which she brought back toward the table. "The garbage is piling up around here. You can take this to the dumpster in the park."

William slumped a little more in his faux sulk, thumping his foot on the floor. "Aww, maannn."

Monique collected the last of the plates, arranging them into a stack and placing the plate with the food crumbs on top. She turned and dumped the stack into the bag, smirking a bit as she whisked her hands together. "Dishes are done."

Kim pulled on the drawstraps at the top of the bag to close it, tying them twice. William rose from his chair. "Might as well get this out of the way," he said, crossing the room to the counter for a flashlight, then returning as Kim held up the bag, leaning up to place a kiss on his cheek as she passed it to him. "Back in a couple," he said, taking the bag and moving into the living room to the front foyer.

Kim had moved to collecting the plastic cups and forks from the table, taking them to the sink. "I'll wash, you dry?" she smiled, offering Monique a small towel.

Monique took the towel, joining Kim at the sink as she ran a little water into one of the cups. She wiped it down with a paper towel and passed it to her right to Monique, who dried it and set it onto the counter upside-down. She studied the flow of water for a few seconds as Kim passed another cup under it. "Wonder how they are keeping the water going," she said. "The water company has to run on electricity..."

"I guess they're running on generators, like some other things," said Kim, wiping around the rim of the second cup and handing it to Monique. She brought over another cup, letting the water pour into it. "Whatever they're doing, it's still working...even if we don't have hot water..."

Monique finished the cup and set it next to the first. "Maybe Wade can get stuff back to normal, like Frannie was saying. When were you going to call him?"

"I was going to wait a bit," Kim said, looking over to the wind-up clock on the counter. "I'll let Ki rest for a while longer."

Monique gave a slight nod as Kim passed the next cup to her.

Outside, William stopped at the end of the driveway and looked up into the indigo of the sky. _High noon,_ he thought, _and I'm out here with a flashlight. Might as well be Midnight._ _They've both been exactly the same, lately. _He started across the street and down the slight incline of the grass into Mason Park. After walking about 50 feet his flashlight caught the corner of the small building behind the chain-link backstop of the baseball diamond, where the city kept some equipment for upkeep of the park. He moved the beam of light to the back of the building and the dumpster that was usually there.

As he shone the light upward, it was revealed to William that the idea to bring trash there was not theirs alone. Bags of varying sizes, both in white and dark green plastic, piled more than four feet above the top of the opening of the dumpster, flapping and ruffling in the wind. Several other bags were either laid on the ground around the base of the overloaded dumpster or had fallen from the top of the mound. A couple of the bags on the ground were ripped open, their contents appearing to have been rifled through.

William began to approach the dumpster, but stopped at a small movement from the bags near the corner. He quickly flashed his light to the edge of the bags—

A cat.

Both stopped as the beam landed upon the small tabby, its eyes aglow in the light as it studied William, who remained motionless for a moment. _Well, lots of free food,_ he thought. _But it could attract something larger than just a cat._

William made a sudden "fffssst" noise at the cat, which quickly skittered into the darkness. _Guess we should both keep an eye out for stray dogs,_ William thought as he set the bag near the others. _A hungry dog might find either one of us tastier than garbage._

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

1:52 PM.

"So Nora was your anesthesiologist when you gave birth to Ki?"

"Uh-huh."

"And, she was the...Chocolate Bunny?"

"Yep...and Marcy is the Butterscotch Bunny with the year-'round perfect tan."

Monique jiggled her dice cup slightly before her roll. "And you came up with these names while you were on drugs?"

"I think it was sedatives, mainly," said Kim. "That's what the Cross Agents figured." Her face now sank a little. "I think alcohol had a little to do with the first time, though." Her expression shifted as Monique looked a little worried from mention of the substance. "Relax...I only sniffed it. I didn't know it was alcohol. It was my first day at work. I was just sitting down to lunch with Tina and another girl. Tina was a diabetic. She was getting ready to take her shot, and I asked about a small package she was going to use to wipe her arm. I didn't know it was soaked with alcohol. She opened the package. One whiff? And I was out cold. They said I smacked my face on a chair on the way down."

"She wore a black eye for a while from that," said William, stirring his own dice.

"That was the same day I found out I was pregnant with Ki," Kim beamed, then giggled a little. "I wore that shiner like a badge for about the next week-and-a-half." She then smirked a bit. "Sometimes I think that smack had a little something to do with Ki eventually getting interested in martial arts."

"The yelling might have been a clue," added William.

This won a suspicious glance from Monique.

"Oh yeah," tittered Kim, grinning in reminiscence, "the yells, too. I had come home after work one day and laid down on the couch after bringing Ki home from daycare. About 20 minutes later I heard these screams coming from the basement. I raced downstairs, thinking something had fallen on Ki...she was just standing in the middle of the exercise room, letting out these quick screams. I asked her what happened...and she just looked at me with the proudest look on her face and said 'oh, nothing, Mommy...I'm just yelling like you do when you do Karates!'"

She giggled as Monique broke into a chortle over the tale. "The way she said it," Kim continued, "it sounded like an exercise routine instead of a martial art. At the time, I had been thinking of some activity to get her into. I thought about a swimming class after school until the screaming thing. About two weeks after that, I talked with a local dojo, got my instructor certification, and started teaching her." Kim suddenly swept her hand into the air. "She just took off like a rocket. She zipped through her first three belts in the time it takes most kids to master their _first_ belt...of course, she was getting instruction both at home and at the dojo. She wasn't even in her double-digits yet, and she was studying with kids almost twice her age – and at their level." Kim's expression now shrank back somewhat from her exuberance. "The only thing was, in all that time, Ki had never faced anyone. She never did any sparring against anyone other than me, and I never put her in any tournaments." She turned her eyes downward. "That may have been why she didn't do well when she had to fight Shego."

"So the only fighting style she was used to...was yours," said Monique, prompting a guilty nod from Kim. "But the important thing was, she saved you. Shego got defeated, she and Drakken got sent back, and things got back to normal...and judging by the way Ki grew up, I think she pretty much got over losing her first fight."

"I sure hope so," Kim said. "Something like that can influence your Karate for the rest of your life. And Ki's first fight wasn't a tournament, for a score or a trophy...it was a real battle, with lives at stake." She leaned forward in her chair, resting her elbows on the table and clasping her hands. "I guess I should be grateful that it didn't affect her much...and that she grew up as strong and determined as she is."

2:07 PM.

A sleepy shape drifted around the corner and into the dining area, accompanied by a small pink companion on her shoulder.

Kim rose to leave a kiss on Kimi's cheek as she moved to the chair to Kim's right. "Hi Baby," she said softly. "We were just talking about you."

Rufus jumped onto the table as Kimi settled onto the chair, placing her hands in her lap. "Hope it was good."

Kim immediately broke into a smile. "Nothing but," she beamed in her slight remodeling of the truth. "How do you feel after your nap?"

Kimi nodded slightly, rubbing the sleep out of an eye. "I feel better...I think. I still can't believe Aunt Tina is gone, though. A blood vessel in her brain burst from her heat stroke?"

"Not actually," said Kim. "It was after she was in the hospital. The heat stroke really dropped her blood pressure...and the vessel burst when they tried to bring it up with drugs."

Kimi shook her head slowly. "Diabetes is a horrible disease...I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy...and I hope I never get it."

"I don't think you have much to worry about. You keep in great shape...you watch your diet...don't eat a lot of sweets...and Diabetes is partly hereditary. Tina and Mary's father had it...he died from it about ten years ago. I don't think Mary got it because she has more of her mother's genes...you can see it in her face." Kim stopped, trying to steer her train of conversation away from her deceased friend. "Anyway, don't worry. Cellers don't get Diabetes...and neither of your father's parents had it either. There's no bloodline for it in our family."

Kimi took the hint, changing the subject. "Did Fra and Zach get out of here okay?"

"Couple of hours ago," said Monique. "Zach said he would be back in about a day or so...he might bring Frannie back with him, if she's ready."

"Fra is always all about crazy worried about her mother," Kimi said, "even without all this extra crazy."

William leaned a bit across the table with a slight smirk. "Surely that's not to imply that you don't worry about your own parents..."

"Not like that," replied Kimi, her gaze sinking to the table. "You two are always here for each other. Fra's mom lives alone." Her eyes flitted back up to her father along with the corners of her mouth. "I just worry that you guys aren't as shiny without the diamond Ki here all the time."

A warm smile drifted onto Kim's face as she rose from her chair, walking behind Kimi and folding her arms around her. "You're always here, Sweetie," she purred, "in our hearts and minds. We're always thinking about you and how proud we are of you."

Kimi nuzzled under her mother's embrace, reaching to caress her hand. "I wouldn't be as shiny either if you guys weren't diamond to begin with," she said.

This earned Kimi an extra squeeze from Kim, who then walked to the counter. "Someone else has been thinking about you, too," she said, returning to the table with the Kimmunicator. She sat and flashed the device to Kimi for a moment before turning it back and pressing the blue button in the center of the keypad.

The screen awoke with a buzz of snow and static before settling into a slightly hazy image of Wade's computer den, and a currently empty chair. "Wade?" Kim asked into the screen. "You there?"

The rotund operator appeared from the left of the screen, settling into the chair. :::Oh hey Kim,::: he smiled. :::Sorry. I was getting a drink. How are you?:::

"Doing alright," Kim replied. "How are things there? Picture's a little fuzzy."

Wade turned to look at one of the monitors. :::Yeah...I was doing backup on a couple of my servers, but that's done and they're just starting their shutdown sequences now. The picture should clear in a bit when I get more power.:::

Kim nodded. "You said to call when a certain daughter made it home...well, Ki is sitting here at the table with us...and so is Monique. They made it home last night with Frannie and Zach, all safe and sound."

Wade's smile broadened. :::That's excellent news. I bet you were relieved.:::

"You know it," grinned Kim.

:::Let me talk to her:::

Kim continued her grin as she passed the Kimmunicator to Kimi, who was wearing an expression of astonishment from the first bit of electronic communication she had heard in some time. She took the device and looked into the screen at the still-jovial Celler operator. "Hey Wade."

:::Hey Kimi.:::

Rufus leaned to look into the screen, throwing up his hand. "Hi!"

:::Hey Rufus, buddy. Good to see you, Kimi. It's nice to know you're home and safe.:::

"Good to be," said Kimi, who looked at the array of working computers displayed on the screen. "Must be all about rough to still have stuff working."

:::Well, things aren't up to full speed::: said Wade. :::but most stuff can still run without rewiring it. I only have generator power for a few hours a day, though. Like I said to Kim, the electricity is slightly different here in the Celler environment, so we're not entirely affected::: He then grinned as he tapped a few keys. :::Besides, I had to have power anyway...someone had to be online to collect your messages:::

This left Kimi a bit puzzled. "...Messages?"

:::Yep::: said Wade, now letting a smirk take over his face. :::Hang on:::

Kimi looked up from the screen to Monique in amazement. "He just picked up a phone. All about Life as Usual."

She turned back to the screen as Wade began to speak into the phone. :::Hi...yeah...yep, last night. I don't know yet. I thought I'd let you ask her::: Wade then tapped a few more keys and waited a few seconds until a click sounded over the speaker. :::Go.:::

There was another click – then a voice through the speaker with the further distant tinniness of a telephone connection, but with familiar weight – :::How's my favorite Black Belt?:::

The greeting caused Kimi's face to light up like the wonder of a six-year-old's Christmas morning. "M-Major Mark?" she stuttered, looking quickly to Kim then back to the screen, her mouth flaring into a surprised smile.

:::Good to hear you're home in the middle of all this mess, Ki::: Mark said. :::I was just about set to come round you up from college:::

Kimi stared more intently at the screen, her disbelief continuing. "With...with what?"

:::A fuel-cell Hummer, of course::: chuckled Mark. :::But that couldn't have happened without Wade's help...and with nothing there running, how did you get all the way home from Penn State?:::

"Bikes."

This brought another chuckle. :::A hundred-mile bike ride in less than three days...guess I don't have to worry about college life softening you up any.:::

Kimi giggled a bit. "Actually, one of my instructors is going to college with me. Remember Zach, my weapons trainer here?"

:::Yeah::: said Mark. :::He's the one who started you on your Escrima.:::

"Yep," Kimi said. "And we've been mixing that with my work in Speed Striking."

:::Heh. As if you weren't dangerous enough. We all sure owe Zach a note of thanks for all the help he's done to further your Karate skills.:::

Kimi's face lifted from the Kimmunicator with a smile of pride to her parents. "Yeah...he's always all about help people...working at the dojo teaching...and the last two years at school with me..."

:::You still owe me a meeting with him someday, you know.:::

"I know. I'm all about looking forward to it. It'd be neat having all my instructors in the same room. I think you'd really like him."

:::How about this Sunday? You doing anything?:::

Kimi's expression quickly flashed into disbelief as she did a series of looks between the screen and the others seated at the table, reaching up to wiggle a finger inside one of her ears. "Uhh...Wade? I think the speaker just broke or something. I thought I just heard—"

:::You heard right::: grinned Wade, :::he said this Sunday. It's something I've been wanting to put together...and now that you're home, we can do it. We've been waiting for you to get home since I had called up to the college.:::

Kimi carried her expression from the screen to her mother, who was nodding in affirmation of Wade's statement.

:::It would take about a day to make sure the transportation logistics are set up::: said Mark, :::and a couple of hours to—::: a few seconds of silence passed before Mark continued :::Ki, I've been asked to hand over the phone for a moment...just a sec:::

A few more seconds of silent pause – then;

:::Kimi!:::

Another smile of pleasant recognition spread across Kimi's face. "Melfina? Hi!"

:::Forgive the interruption, but I could no longer contain my elation at hearing your voice and that you are home and safe. Welcome home, Kimi! And kudos to you for the idea of bicycles as transportation.:::

"With all the crazy going on, I thought this would be the best place to be," replied Kimi. "And the idea for the bikes goes to Zach."

:::I have been worrying::: said Melfina. :::Much have I missed our frequent and regular communications via e- or v-mail:::

"Yeah," said Kimi, "me too. The mail servers on campus kept going poof for about a month before everything else went poof." She then slipped into a slight grin. "Say Melfina...since Major Mark says he's coming out here this Sunday...does that mean you're coming, too?"

:::Actually,::: Melfina said, :::Mark and I had discussed the possibility of my joining him on his journey to Eastgate since shortly after Wade had provided him with the means to do so...and while it would be one of my greatest wishes and highest honor to be among you and your family and friends during this uncertain and trying time...for reasons of security and safety, it was a mutual decision that I remain on base.:::

Kimi looked slightly to the side for a moment, searching her disappointment before nodding slightly. "Yeah," she said softly, "I understand that...a bit about less than 21st Century out there right now..."

:::I am glad you understand...the logic by which we reached this decision was similar to the thoughts you just expressed. I will return the phone to Mark now. Hello to your mother and father, and Monique:::

The three mentioned returned "Hi Melfina" "Hey Mel"

:::Remain safe, everyone...and remain hopeful, as I do, that this too shall pass, and normal life will be returned to us all.:::

Mark's voice now returned to the speaker. :::Ki, Melfina had been worried ever since we heard that you had left the college. She just had to talk to you. She's sitting on the couch now with the first real smile I've seen on her face since this whole thing started.:::

"It was good to hear from her too," said Kimi, "and good to know that she's safe...but all about d'uh...she's with you."

This brought laughter from Mark. :::Well, she's on base...she's safe no matter who she's with here.:::

Wade touched a finger to a monitor to his left. :::Running close on power, guys.:::

:::Gotcha, Wade. Let's see, what've we got ...about a day for transportation and other logistics...a couple hours travel from the base to Eastgate...the only thing I'd have left to work out would be sleeping arrangements:::

Kimi perked. "Got a hide-a-bed in the basement workout room."

:::Well, that'd work...but being that it's their house, let's make sure your parents are on board with that.:::

Kimi immediately looked to her mother, who was already nodding her approval. She looked back to the screen. "Affirmative on the hide-a-bed."

:::It's a deal then::: said Mark. :::Let's let Wade recharge. Wade, let's try to set up a call tomorrow...we'll coordinate last-minute stuff, and I want to see if the Hodges need anything I can bring from up here. Ki, the plan is for me to be there sometime Sunday morning.:::

"O...kay, Major Mark," Kimi said, still not fully believing the conversation that had just taken place. "See you then." Rufus punctuated the point with a salute and a quick "Ten-hut!" which brought a small giggle from Kimi.

:::Mark, I'll call tomorrow afternoon sometime::: said Wade.

"We'll be here," Kim offered, almost sarcastically.

Wade gave a thumbs-up, and the screen on the Kimmunicator went dark. Kimi placed the device on the table and looked up to her mother. "Between Wade and Major Mark, they'll be all about figure out how to fix everything."

"I sure hope so," said Kim. "On the show, Wade could figure out anything." She looked toward the darkened drapes of the patio doors, letting a small sigh escape. "If this was the show, this whole thing would have been over a half-hour after it started..."

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

8:07PM.

Kimi took a sip from her water and set the cup on the porch railing she was leaning against. She looked out over the dark yard. "One thing about no electricity...it sure makes things quiet."

Monique nodded from her lounge chair. "Yeah," she said, "...but with no anything, it's too quiet." She then looked into the sky over the line of maple trees toward the heart of the darklened city. "And of all days, this is the one that's supposed to be the least quiet." Kimi gave her a tilted, rather inquisitive look. Monique held out her hand in the direction of the sky over the city. "Fourth of July? Fireworks?"

"I thought I heard a few pops in the distance while I was out here after dinner," said William, who was leaned against the frame of the open sliding door, "...but I couldn't quite tell if it was fireworks...or gunshots."

Monique's eyes began to sink toward the porch. "I lived in Pittsburgh for about a year before I started college," she said, "and it taught me the difference between fireworks and gunshots in the city."

Kimi uttered a soft "Hm?"

Monique looked up slowly to Kimi. "You don't hear screams and sirens and crying around fireworks..."

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

Saturday, July 5th

7:22 PM.

Kimi pulled the chair out from the desk. She reached for the straps of her backpack, pulling it from the chair and turning to place it on her bed. She then slid onto the chair, pulling herself closer to the desk and arranging the small lamp nearer to the wall.

Rufus leaped from the table onto the bed, scooting up to one of the pillows. "Nap," he grinned back to Kimi.

"Cool," Kimi smiled. "You nap...I'll write." Kimi then turned back to the table and reached for the blue notebook on top of the stack of books, letting it slap lightly onto the desk in front of her. She pulled it open, turning a couple of the pages, looking over lines she had written. _Last time I sat at this desk,_ she thought, _I was all about cram for finals in high school algebra, not doodling in poetry._ She curled another page over the binder rings. _I wasn't even doing poetry back then...but at least there would have been a computer here to do it on instead of being all about Stone Age with pen and paper._

Kimi turned a few more pages until she got to a clean sheet. _I don't think I would even be interested in writing poetry except for that day I caught Kent Schreder looking over my shoulder in the library while I was writing a composition on Cellers and drug interaction. Kent thought I was 'waxing poetic' when I was just listing some of the stuff Mom was saying on the video when she was on sedatives the day she had me._

The thought caused Kimi to let out a small giggle. _'Crumbly Crunchies' – hehe._ She began to scrawl out a small doodle near the upper corner of the page. _Kent is mostly harmless...except for the flirting. At least he's cute enough to tolerate...but Zach would be all about Crumbly Crunchies with Kent's head if he ever caught him doing any of_—

The slow opening of the door cut Kimi's thoughts. "Hi," said Kim, her face a soft highlight in the glow of the lamp.

"Hey. Have you heard from Wade yet?"

"Not yet. Monique and I were thinking about ganging up on your father for a few games of backgammon while we're waiting. You in?"

Kimi tilted her head a bit to the side, as if mulling the prospect. "Mmm...I think I'm just going to frost it in here for a while...mess around a little with some poetry."

Kim moved a bit further into the room, sliding the door closed behind her. "Actually," she said softly, "I was meaning to ask you about that. Yesterday morning I looked in here to check on you and Frannie...and I read one of your...poems. It was hanging right out in the open. I hope you don't mind..."

"No, I don't mind," Kimi said with a small smile. "I'm all about open book." She flipped back through a couple of the pages lined with her handwriting. "Which one did you read?"

Kim's eyes became a bit evasive. "...something about a war..."

Kimi grinned a bit in recognition. "Oh...War Inside My Head."

"Yeah," said Kim, her expression now showing a slight concern. Kimi turned her chair toward her mother as she sat on the edge of the bed, next to the backpack. "Ki...I don't mean to pry..."

"Yeah, you do," Kimi smirked. "It's all about your Mom Job."

Kim uttered a bit of a nervous giggle. "Uhh, yeah...job." Her expression returned to concern. "But the poem...it's about...when I was kidnapped...isn't it..."

"Yeah, kind of."

"Kimi..." Kim started, with one of the rare times she used her daughter's full first name, "I...don't know that that's exactly something that's the best thing to, um...glorify in a poem. It was a horrible thing..."

Kimi sat back a bit as Kim talked. She brought her hands together, touching her index fingers to her lips. "I know it was...but the poem isn't really about what happened," she said. "It's more about what it made me do." She leaned forward, lowering her clasped hands to her knees. "I was fifteen...and you had been taken...and you were going to be killed, no matter if we had given Drakken and Shego that mad ransom or not...and there was nothing anyone could do about it. Suddenly, here comes Major Mark, who tells me _I_ could do something about it. You trained me in Karate...but your kidnapping trained me in using it against other people."

Kim's face lowered to the floor. "That...was my fault," she said. "You were a Red Belt back then...but all you had ever done was sparring against me. You should have been in at least a few matches or tournaments by that time. Your first, um, match, shouldn't have been a fight to save me."

"Don't take this wrong," said Kimi, "'cause you know I'm all not about Morbid Molly...but something like that has got to be the strongest test of someone's Karate training...even if it was wrong." Kim hesitated for a moment before nodding slightly. Kimi continued, but her voice and pace softened. "There's something else that the kidnapping put on my martial arts resume...even three belts above me...you've never had to—"

Kim finished the sentence softly, still speaking to her knees. "I've never...killed anyone with Karate...or at all."

Kimi replied just as softly. "I didn't say it was all about proudest moment..."

Kim nodded, lifting her eyes slightly. "I know. And I know you didn't mean for it to happen. You said it was the same guy who grabbed you right after we landed in Cairo...and he grabbed you the same way at the warehouse that he did at the airport. That's what set you off." She lifted her eyes a little more to meet Kimi's. "...but I also know that it showed you what can happen when you let your emotions take control over your abilities."

Kimi confirmed her mother's statements as she spoke, with slight shakes or nods of her head.

There were a few seconds that the two merely sat, avoiding each others' eyes.

"The closest I ever came," Kim said, looking back down to her knees, "...was with Shego in the warehouse. When I saw you on the floor, I...I thought you were..." She stopped for a few seconds, her eyes closing. "...when we started fighting, I knew she wasn't up to her real speed, because she still wasn't completely used to the higher mass of the Flesher environment...but that didn't stop me." She now lifted her eyes to her daughter. "If I didn't stop when I did...I think I might have..."

"In other words...you almost let your emotions take control..." Kimi said, with Kim nodding slowly. "So you know what it feels like when it happens."

"Yes," said Kim, looking up again. "And it's why I keep on you so hard about controlling yours. The Karate we know is a beautiful and poetic art form...a super exercise program...and an excellent defense in a fight...but it can also be a lethal force, if we don't remain in control and in focus."

Kimi nodded a few times in a mix of affirmation and a bit of guilt from having to learn her mother's lesson the hard way.

Kim suddenly patted Kimi's knee, her face popping into a smile. "Enough of the gloom," she said, rising from the bed. "Time for a better mood. I'll go whip up on your father and Monique."

"I'll be all about happy poetry," perked Kimi.

Kim opened the door and flashed her daughter a thumbs-up. "Rainbows and puppies," she grinned. "Come out later if you want to join in beating up on your dad. Otherwise, I'll let you know if Wade calls." She moved through the doorway and started to close the door, but stopped, tipping her head back into the bedroom. "And Ki...don't sit in here and worry about Zach. I know he said that he'd be back after a day...but I'm sure there's a very good reason why he's still at his parents' house...and I'm sure that nothing has happened to him."

Kimi nodded. "I know...and I know that Zach is all about take care of himself." She glanced to the notebook, turning a page and tapping her pen on it a couple of times, looking back to her mother. "I'm just...all about a little bit of quiet right now."

"Okay," smiled Kim, "enjoy your quiet...talk to you later."

Kimi nodded again as Kim closed the door. She returned to her notebook, turning back to the unwritten page. As she revealed it, she had to smile. The doodle she had started when her mother came in turned out to be a "Z" a little over two inches tall in a curving font, the edges curled and flared. _Happy poetry, _she thought, arranging the notebook and setting her pen to a line. _Happy diamond shiny puppy poetry._

_...with no Sun._

_Puppies chasing elusive rainbows_

_Playing on the summer lawn_

_Puppies yipping at the hazy rainbows_

_Only they see in the murky non-stop dawn_

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

Sunday, July 6th

9:46 AM.

"Awww, man..."

"Oh, stop whining. Like you never rolled doubles before..."

"Yeah," said Monique, setting her cup on the table and looking at the board a bit dejectedly, "but not double fives twice in a row! And not while putting three of my opponent's pieces on the bar!"

Kimi reached to the board to move the second of four pieces. "Moni...you know as well as I do that the 'gammon is a game of skill _and_ chance. And it's mostly more chance than skill because it involves dice."

Monique's brow lowered as Kimi carried out the rest of her move. "Chance, huh..." She looked up from the board with a tiny smirk. ",..any chance you could take my pieces off the bar?"

There were a few seconds before Kimi broke into a quick titter. "That's where the skill part comes in," she grinned. "The skill to keep your pieces protected...or the skill to beg."

"Or the skill in choosing a friend who would give me a chance in a game she's madly better at."

Kimi's grin grew a little. "I'll let you take _one_ piece off... but you have to put it on the outer board. If you haven't gotten any more off in two moves, I'll let you take off another." She picked her dice from the board and Monique took one of the three pieces from the center divider of the board and put it down in the corner. "As far as madly better, it's all about blame Mom. She taught me when I was about six. I used to go with her to her 'gammon club meetings once in a while and I started asking her about the game...so she taught me."

"Monique thought for a second. "In that case, I guess I'd have to blame Shego," she said. "She taught your mom years ago, while we were doing the show. They would play between scenes or while discussing a scene."

"Yeah, I know," said Kimi. "She told me that before. But Mom hasn't mentioned Shego too much since back when she was kidnapped...doesn't say much about Drakken, either."

Monique shook her cup and spilled the pair of dice onto the board. "Guess when someone makes an attempt on your life, they kind of fall out of conversation." She moved two of her pieces to a space on her home board. "Just how bad was that fight in Cairo?"

"I didn't see it," Kimi said. "At the time, I was all about out cold from some taser stick thingy that Shego used on me when I fought her. But I guess when Mom saw me out, she thought Shego killed me. She really went Shred Nation on Shego. After the fight, I saw her in the cube thing they were holding Mom in...and..." Kimi stopped for a few seconds, remembering "...she looked like she had run through a room full of—" Kimi's head suddenly flashed in the direction of her bedroom door. "Did you hear that?" Monique looked in that direction as Kimi looked back to her. "It sounded like a car do—"

"Ki?" came Kim's voice from the living room. "Ki? Come out here. Hurry up."

Kimi quickly closed the backgammon case, causing Monique to jump. "Hey!"

"Your pieces are off the bar," Kimi said quickly, rolling off the bed to her feet, with Rufus quickly jumping off the bed and scrambling onto her shoulder. "You win. C'mon!"

Kimi turned and left the room even before Monique rose from her seat on the bed. As she entered the living room, she was met with the same sight Kimi had rushed to see; a man coming through the front foyer.

A _big_ man.

William closed the front door and followed Mark as he emerged from the foyer, barely clearing the top of the doorway. Kim met him a few steps into the living room with a soft embrace. "Hi Mark. It's good to see you made a safe trip."

"Safe all the way," Mark joked. "Headlights on and everything."

Kim giggled as they parted. She had barely stepped clear before Mark was suddenly locked in a tighter hug. "Ungh!" Mark snorted in surprise as Kimi wrapped her arms around him. "Guess the bike ride from college was good for your upper body, too."

"It's not from a bike," said Kimi as they parted. "The sports complex at school is all about mad equip...especially the training room for the football players." She brought up an arm, patting her bicep. "A half-hour on ellipticals four days a week and a few hours between weight machines and workouts on the floor," she tapped the taut muscle again, finishing with a smile, "tight is right and shines bright in a fight."

Rufus quickly arched his front paws into a body-builder flex, baring his teeth in a smiling sneer. "Grrrr!" he snarled.

Mark laughed out loud. "Can't argue with that logic."

Kimi turned, motioning Monique into the room. "You remember Major Mark," she said. "He's from the Air Base. He brought that truckload of guys that helped us chop up all that wood for last year's homecoming bonfire."

Monique crossed the living room to the large Major, taking his offered hand. "Course I do," she smiled. "Can't forget anyone this big—err, hearted."

Mark barely contained another burst of laughter. "Good to see you Monique...the guys were glad to help out. It was only about four cords of wood...no sweat for twenty men...and thanks again for getting them all tickets to the football game that weekend. They loved it."

Monique smiled and blushed a little. "I loved it, too. Being the assistant manager at the school store does have its advantages...and sitting at the game with a bunch of Air Force guys around me was suuure one of 'em."

"And to think, some of us were actually there to watch the game," quipped Kimi. She then turned to Mark. "Okay, you asked about the bikes...all about my turn. How did you get all the way here from Willow Grove?"

Mark took a step back, turning to pull back the drapes of the window to the right of the foyer. "Same way I get everywhere else," he said, "in a fuel-cell Hummer." Kimi leaned a bit to peer through the window to the driveway. Sure enough, it was now filled with one Royal Blue truck styled after the civilian model. "Like I said on the phone, without Wade's help, I'd still be stuck in Willow Grove."

"How'd you get it running?"

"It took some modification," said Mark. "Basically we had to alter the frequency at which the electric motors operate...and we had to beef up the electrical system. It's running on about five times the normal voltage."

Kimi perked at this. "So we could do that with other cars and get them running too?"

"Sure," grinned Mark, "if you don't mind losing your trunk and part of your back seat. In fact, I had to fill the front seat with some of the stuff I brought...there was no more room in the back, because it's all full of batteries to boost the power and a big capacitor to store it. But with all that, it seems to run just like normal."

"Probably cost a mint, too," added William.

"Believe that it does," Mark nodded. "We're just operating essential vehicles on base...and we're making the same modifications to some aircraft."

Kim adopted a rather worried expression as she turned to Mark. "There...was a Senator on the radio last week...he talked about using the military to...pick up Cellers across the country. Mark, please tell me that's not what they're gearing up for..."

Mark's eyebrows raised in surprise. "What? No! We don't have any orders to pick up or detain any Cellers. We heard that broadcast last Friday." He placed a hand on Kim's shoulder. "That Senator doesn't have any real pull in Congress...just a loud mouth. In fact, he's locked up in his house right now, afraid to come out after all the death threats he got after that broadcast." He then smiled. "Besides, if we were to go round up Cellers, I don't think Wade would have helped us get things running to do it."

Kim relaxed as if most of the air had been let out of her. "Thank you," she breathed. "It's good to hear that some people are still reasonable in the middle of all this. That Senator was actually accusing Cellers of causing all these changes."

"Stopping the Earth's rotation? That'd be a tall order for anyone, let alone Cellers. No, there's got to be something else influencing it. Hopefully Wade has some insight." Mark looked to the table next to the couch, where the phone sat. "I brought a speaker to hook to the phone line, so we can teleconference with Wade."

"Frannie would love to be here for that," Kimi said. "I don't know why, but she's all about loves those speaker thingies for phone conferences."

Mark looked at Kimi for a second, then slapped his leg. "Here's an idea, Ki," he said in a slight playful mocking tone, "let's unload the truck so we can go pick her up."

"Yeah!" Kimi burst – then slid back a little. "But...we'll have to stop at the store first."

"Why? What do you need? I brought quite a bit of stuff."

Kimi brought her palm across her forehead with a slap. "Bet you didn't bring any Clue Bees...and I am just fresh out..."

Mark led the laughter, joined in by the rest. "C'mon, You," he smiled at Kimi, moving toward the front door. Kimi dropped Rufus off on the arm of a chair and followed him to the foyer, and the two stepped out to the front porch, with Kimi setting the clip to prop open the outside door.

William turned to Kim. "Guess that's quite a bit of good news. No mass Celler arrests."

"It's very quite good news," said Monique.

Kim wrapped her arms around her husband in a tight hug. "Best news I've had since seeing Ki home."

"Mark said he brought quite a bit of stuff," William said. "Wonder what all he packed."

"Well, you know Mark," said Kim, "He always tries to bring good news...and he has the resources of an entire Air Base."

Kimi came through the door carrying a large cooler stacked with a few smaller boxes. She carried the stack to set down next to the coffee table. "Heavy stuff is-_sooo_-fun," she grunted as the cooler thudded to the floor. "Too bad Zach missed this."

Mark now edged through the door carrying an even larger box, turning to set it down to the left of the foyer. "Sorry," he said, straightening. "This won't be here long. We'll set it up a little later." He turned to Kimi, who was stretching slightly backward with her hands at her sides, near the back of her waist. "You okay? Maybe you need to add some lat rows or pullovers into your workout routine."

Kimi stretched a little more. "It's okay...just not used to moving heavy stuff around."

"Okay," said Mark, "the rest of the stuff is light. I can get it."

Kimi suddenly straightened and moved for the door. "Nope. I'm in."

Mark had to smile. He motioned to the stack of boxes on the cooler as they entered the foyer. "Kim, there's a sack in the top box for you. It's from Melfina. She told me not to look in it."

Kim moved to the stack. "O...kay..." She reached for the paper sack sitting in the side of the top box, removing it slowly and uncurling the top to peer inside. "Ooo-OO-oohh," she cooed into the sack, then raised her head with a wide smile. "Clean undies!"

Monique's expression also lit. "Girl, you _gotta_ share."

"Me too!" William caroled in a crisp falsetto, his hands on his hips.

Kim and Monique looked at William for a second – then to each other. Kim suddenly thrust her hand into the sack as if searching through its contents. "Well let me see, there might be a frilly little number that'd be just perfect for you!" Monique could do little more than double over in laughter.

Kimi entered the room again, carrying a rather large box with a smaller one stacked on top, which she was looking around the side to navigate. "Careful, Ki," said Kim.

"It's okay," Kimi said, "they're not heavy, just big. I think they're full of clothes." She turned to her right, toward the cooler and other boxes. "Guide me in?"

"Yep. Turn a little more...okay, straight ahead one step...now down."

Kimi set the boxes near the corner of the couch. "That's the last of it, other than what Mark is bringing in."

Mark now re-entered through the foyer with a box on one arm, a long garment bag and a small tank in his other hand.

"What's the tank for?" William asked.

Mark set the box down on top of the large one and set the tank next to it. "It's propane." He received a couple of puzzled looks until he reached to pat the large box. "Can't run a gas grill without gas."

Kimi's head spun around. "You brought us a grill?"

"Sure did."

"Mark, that's very generous," Kim offered, "being that our stove isn't working...but our next-door neighbors have a working wood-burning stove."

"They even have a thing you can put on the top to make toast," Kimi said.

"They do?" said Mark. "Neat. I haven't seen one of those in years, much less a working one." He then motioned to the cooler. "But you have to have a grill to properly cook that stuff."

The curiosity immediately tugged at Kim. "Ki, help me move these."

Kimi took two of the boxes from atop the stack on the cooler and Kim took the third, handing it to Kimi. She then crouched in front of the cooler, flipped the latches on either side and lifted the lid. A thin mist of frost wafted from the cooler. Kim waved her hand over the cooler to clear some of the mist, then bent a little farther, looking into it – "No...way!" She reached in, bringing out two frozen items, her mouth open and widening into a smile of amazement.

Monique took in a quick sharp gasp.

"Steaks!" said William.

"Those are Porterhouse cuts," Mark said. "There are also some tenderloins in there."

"Shiz-_nekkin'!!_" Kimi burst. "It feels like forever and three weeks since I dove into a good juicy steak!" She suddenly turned and flung her arms around Mark. "Extra deep blue bang, Major Mark." Rufus echoed this sentiment from the top of the couch, launching into a series of jumps and flips punctuated with "Yay!" and "Whooo!"

"The moment all the power went out on the base," said Mark, "Maintenance went right to work preserving foodstuffs. They moved truckloads of dry ice to the commissary on carts and hand trucks. In fact, it's lining the bottom of that cooler, under the regular ice."

Kim looked up from the cooler, backing up a bit. "Is that dangerous to have around?"

"It's all sealed in plastic bags," Mark said, "And more plastic on top of it. It'll keep something frozen a lot longer than just plain ice."

"Mmmm, steak on an open grill," purred Monique. "The only thing missing is a big hot baked potato."

Mark's grin was wide as he motioned to the boxes that had been sitting on the cooler. "Second box."

"That's it," blurted Monique, moving in the direction of the large Major, "now I gotta hug 'im."

Kimi burst into giggles as she moved aside for Monique to hug Mark. She turned to the large box to the left of the doorway, pulling the tank from atop it and setting it on the floor. "We'd better be all about busy if we're going to put this together in time for dinner," she said, pulling off the box on top, setting it down next to the tank and fiddling with the tape holding the flaps of the large box closed. "We need to have a big cookout." Kimi turned her head back to her mother as she pulled a length of tape from the box. "Mom, go tell Carrie and John."

"Ki," cautioned Kim, "we're not even sure Mark brought that much..."

"Actually, there's quite a bit of meat in there," said Mark. "At least ten steaks...and about five pounds of ground beef—"

"S'ghetti!!" Kimi blurted. "You _gotta_ make s'ghetti this week. On the wood stove! The steaks will be the bribe to let us use it for a day!"

Mark burst out loud in laughter. "Now that's bargaining at its best!" Kim and Monique joined in the laughter.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

Mark took Kim and Kimi on a tour of the rest of the boxes. In addition to the sack of unmentionables that Melfina had sent for the girls, the top box of the cooler stack contained fresh items for William. The box Kimi had brought under that held the potatoes Mark had mentioned, along with some other food items such as candy and various snacks. As Kimi had surmised when she brought them in, the other boxes were packed with clean clothes picked by Melfina, who remembered everyone's sizes from previous conversations over the years with Kim.

After retrieving his clothes and another propane tank from the Hummer, Mark and Kimi agreed that the next order of business should be picking up Frannie and Zach from their houses. Frannie was particularly surprised and thankful to see the massive truck in her mother's driveway, and she would later remark that her mother's reaction to the arrival of it and the just-as massive Major driving it was second only to her reaction at seeing her daughter at the front door in the midst of the darkness and uncertainty now settled over Eastgate and the world.

After making sure that things were stable and secure at the McGinnis residence, Mark, Kimi and Frannie continued to Zach's house. This visit lasted a little longer, with the long-awaited meeting between Mark and Zach, who gained an instant liking and respect for each other. Mark and Zach's father Andy also hit it off famously, striking common ground as Andy had served for 20 years in the Navy, spending most of that time stationed in submarines that patrolled the waters just off the Eastern Seaboard. They spent the better part of two hours talking about the extent of military ability during the global outage, and their plans for operation now that they had found the means of adjusting items to operate, thanks to Wade.

Upon returning to the Hodge house, and after unloading the bike from atop the Hummer, Kimi, Zach and Mark were eager to assemble the grill, but were pre-empted by Kim's announcement of "Important Things First!" which brought laughter from most everyone, as they knew it meant the luxury of fresh underlings for the women. During this time, William showed Mark to his basement accommodations and the hide-a-bed in the exercise room. After this short repose, work began on the grill, with a rather well-stocked tool kit from the Hummer, and supervision led by Frannie and Rufus. The project was stopped only by a lunch of tuna sandwiches and chips, prepared by Kim and Monique.

The early evening saw the grand cookout Kimi had talked of that morning, with the invitation of their neighbors Carrie and John. Mark took the role of Master Chef, donning an apron from Kim and sizzling the steaks to each person's preference along with a potato cooked in foil, and served on sturdy thick paper plates. Before the meal Mark and John talked about John's trade as a mechanic and his recreational projects like the resurrection of the wood stove, ending with John taking him next door to show off his handiwork.

Shortly after the completion of the meal which left everyone, as Zach put it, "fat and happy", Mark gave apologies and excused himself from the back porch, asking Kimi to show him where the wall jack was for the phone in the living room. He then brought one of the smaller boxes to the end table and set about connecting the conference speaker according to Wade's directions.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

7:13 PM.

Kimi and Zach entered the living room, where Mark was seated at one end of the couch, connecting a phone line to the conference speaker sitting on the coffee table in front of him. "You can sure shovel the food away, Zach," said Mark. "That was at least a 14-ounce Porterhouse you ate...and a big baked potato with it."

Zach rubbed his stomach rather proudly. "Nothing like red meat and starch for iron and vitamins," he said, moving to flop onto the couch next to Mark.

"Ah-ah-ah," said Kimi behind him, waving a finger, pulling a couple of pillows from the end of the couch and moving to the other side of the coffee table, tossing them to the floor. "Furniture for the adults. Pull up a floor, Potato Boy."

Frannie and Monique came into the living room, with Monique settling into the large overstuffed chair near the end table and Frannie sliding in next to her.

Zach pointed at the two as he rose from the couch. "They got a chair," he protested. "They're not adults."

"That's different," Kimi said. "They're girls."

"And?"

"You're a guy."

Zach got a sudden proud smirk. "I'm _your_ guy."

"Yep," replied Kimi with her own brand of smirk, "and as my guy, you should feel privileged and obligated to sit next to your girl wherever she chooses—" she patted the pillow next to her "—like on the floor."

Zach spent a few seconds performing an exaggerated eye roll before walking around the coffee table and to the pillow next to Kimi, continuing his momentum from sitting to push her nearly to the floor, which launched her into a giggling fit. "Yep, he's still all about trained," she smirked, "all except that last part. He'll get punished for that later."

Monique fell into a quick snicker, covering her mouth. Frannie took the opposite tack, leaning forward a bit and sticking her tongue out at the black-haired young man.

Zach immediately shot his left arm across his body, pointing at Frannie. "You're just lucky we're not in a house where I could throw stuff."

Frannie backed up a little in a false cower, jiggling her hands in front of her. "Oooo, big Beat-'em-up Karate Guy's gonna throw stuff at me."

"Nah," smirked Zach. "More like throwing you at stuff." Frannie reacted with a sudden short gasp, grabbing onto Monique's arm and hiding behind it a little.

"Is this usually...?" Mark began to ask Monique, motioning his finger between Frannie and Zach.

Monique nodded as Frannie straightened. "Ev-ery sin-gle day. I don't wanna know what it would be like if they didn't like each other."

Zach shrugged, looking slightly to the side, speaking clipped sentences in a taunting "Have it your way" tone, each time looking back up to Frannie for a second as he spoke then averting his gaze again, each bringing more giggles from Kimi. "I'd just throw her harder...make her land on her tongue...second-degree carpet burn...wipe my shoes off on that tongue...big ol' tongue mat..."

Kimi finally put a stop to the taunting with a backhand to Zach's arm and a stern look, which fell apart with chuckles. "Enough of this tongue-la-ha-hash-ing..." This brought the three of them into laughter. Monique simply looked at Mark and threw up her hands.

Kim and William now entered the living room, both carrying cups. "Thanks so much for the wonderful dinner, Mark," Kim said. "And thanks for the means to make tea again."

"Sure thing," said Mark. "It doesn't take long for that grill to boil water...and the gas flame won't burn the pot."

"Boy, you and John sure hit it off," said Kim. "I didn't think you two were ever going to stop talking about his wood stove."

"John sure is proud of that stove," William said. "I think he enjoyed having someone fresh to brag about it to."

"John's a good guy," Mark said, "and is good with his hands. That comes in handy in times like this." He turned to Kim. "I hope they understood about me ducking out right after dinner...I didn't want to seem rude...but I had to finish hooking this up."

"They understood completely," Kim smiled. "They know that you and Wade are in the process of helping find out what all is going wrong with the world, and getting things back to at least semi-normal."

Mark nodded, and looked at his watch. "Wade said he didn't want too many people listening in on this conference. I hope he might have more answers than we've been able to come up with." He pressed a button on the conference speaker and two lights on the console lit up.

Frannie leaned a little toward the device. "Batteries?"

"It's the only way it'll operate, right now," said Mark. He pressed the button again to turn off the speaker, then turned to Kim. "Wade said to give him a call on the Kimmunicator, and then he'd set up the conference call."

Kim rose from the couch, slipping past William's legs. "It's on the dining room table." She walked into the dining room, reappearing with the blue device in hand. She returned to her seat on the couch between William and Mark and held the Kimmunicator in front of her, pressing the center button.

The screen lit up in a short display of snow which cleared quickly to show the chubby Celler seated in the middle of his array of monitors. :::Hey Kim::: he offered. :::How's things with you guys?:::

"Doing alright," said Kim. "In fact, we were just treated to a big steak dinner, thanks to Mark."

:::Ah, he's there. Good to know he made the trip okay. That must mean that he's ready for that conference call::: Wade now looked a little closer into the screen. :::Kim...could you do me a favor and turn the Kimmunicator around the room so I can see who all is there? I need a head count for my records:::

Kim's brow furrowed for a second. "Okay..." She swung the device a little to the right. "Well, there's me of course...my husband, William—" who gave a slight wave at the screen. Kim then brought the screen to her left in a slow arc of the room "—then there's Mark, sitting here...Kimi's friend Frannie, who's staying with us...you know Monique...and Ki, and her boyfriend and weapons trainer, Zach." Each of them gave a wave and a "Hi" to Wade as the screen moved to show them. Kim brought the Kimmunicator back near her lap.

Wade typed for a few seconds. :::Okay...got everyone listed. Mark, go ahead and turn on the speaker. It'll take me a few seconds to adjust the land line frequency, then I'll make the call. Kim, what's the number there?:::

"582-1106," Kim started, then added, "Oh...area code 814."

:::Okay. Give me a few here::: The screen then went dark.

Kim laid the Kimmunicator on the coffee table, and all eyes now turned to the triangular-shaped speaker on the table. Ten long seconds passed, turning to fifteen. At about twenty seconds, Mark gave a glance at his watch—

Frannie jumped a little at the sudden electronic tone of the speaker's ringer. Mark reached to press the "Call" button, and a rather loud tone burst from the speaker, causing Monique to turn in a wince, closing her eyes. Mark quickly moved to the volume dial, turnng down the noise. The tone stopped after a few seconds, replaced by Wade's voice, backed by a slight hiss. :::Sorry, had to adjust a little more...is that better? Can you hear me okay?:::

Mark adjusted the volume back up a little. "Reading loud and mostly clear, Wade."

:::Okay::: said Wade. :::I apologize for the secrecy, but I wanted this on a secure line...not going out over airwaves that could be picked up:::

"Understood, Wade," said Mark "Have you found out anything about what's been going on the last few weeks?"

:::I'm afraid I have,::: said Wade, the tone of his voice a little softer and slower, :::and...it's not very good news. I don't know how much anyone has been hearing over the radio...I understand they've been getting out some limited short-wave broadcasts through a single working communications satellite...:::

"There have been a _lot_ of things on the radio," Kimi said.

"Some of the things I think I would rather not have heard," added Kim.

:::Here's what we have so far on the state of the Earth::: Wade said. :::The cessation of the Earth's rotation you already know about...but there's more than that. In addition to no rotation, the entire planet has shifted. It's tilting a lot more than it should be.:::

"How much more?" Mark asked.

:::Normal tilt of the Earth on its axis is about 23-and-a-half degrees...right now, the best we can figure, based on movement of the magnetic poles...it's at about...40 degrees.:::

A slow rush of air came from Mark's open mouth as he looked up from the speaker to Kim. Frannie's mouth was also open, but no sound came out as she looked over to Monique.

:::Another thing we've found,::: continued Wade, :::is that the Earth's magnetic fields...are almost at zero.:::

"Wade, I'm not all about much science," Kimi said, "but doesn't that magnetic field block the Earth from something from the Sun?"

:::It does...radiation. Or at least it does when it's stronger. That and the ozone layer...which is also very weak right now...and the Sun that's hitting the Earth right now is almost completely unfiltered...and beyond hot. Be thankful you guys aren't on the side of the Earth where the Sun is shining all the time. There are parts of the Middle East where the air temperature has climbed to around 240 degrees...people are actually...::: there were a few seconds of silent hiss from the speaker before Wade continued. :::It's...it's not very survivable to be outside or even above ground for very long.:::

Kim slowly lowered her mouth against the back of her hand and sat for a moment, her eyes closing as if trying to shut out her thoughts. "Wade," she said, still covering her mouth, "...there are some people we know who live in that part of the world...Donna and Ben Aaronson. They're...in Cairo." She paused again, shutting her eyes tightly and biting a bit against her thumb. "...I don't know how you would...but if you could find out if they're...okay..."

:::Certainly Kim,::: Wade said. :::I'll find out what I can.:::

Kim attempted to calm herself as William slid his arm over her shoulders. She reached for her cup of tea, sipping gently.

Mark turned his attention back to the speaker. "Wade, do you know anything about the event on the 25th of June? Just about 3AM our time, the entire sky lit up, and it stayed that way for almost a full day. Some of the people on base think that it was high enough that it was actually our magnetic field that was lighting up."

:::That's what it was::: said Wade, :::and...we found out what was lighting it up. This is the part I didn't want getting out over airwaves.::: There was another short pause. :::That light went around the entire planet. It was actually the magnetic field reacting with the Resonance Conduit.:::

Kimi's eyes flew wide. "Light without shadow... _that's_ why people said it looked like the light from a Cross."

"How?" said Mark.

:::The 25th was the first night of the new moon. As you know, the Conduit goes through its monthly cycle on that night, passing around the Earth at Midnight in each time zone. On the 25th, the Conduit...experienced an anomaly.:::

"Solar storm?" Monique offered.

:::No...solar fluctuations don't affect the Conduit. This was from the Conduit and the magnetic fields...being manipulated.:::

"...by what?" Mark asked.

:::A magnetic force...stronger than anything we've ever seen before.:::

"Where's it coming from?" asked Kim. "A Senator on the radio was claiming that all this was caused by the presence of Cellers in the Flesher environment. Now that we can travel, I'd love to take this information to him and stuff it down his—"

:::Well,::: Wade started slowly, :::being a Senator, I'm not sure where he might have access to the kind of information that would support him making that kind of accusation...especially right now...:::

"He said he had a report that showed—"

:::...but in a way...he's right.:::

The weight of the shock of the last of Wade's statement covered the room quickly, led by Frannie uttering a sudden gasp. Mark's arm slid a little from the arm of the couch as the revelation impacted him.

Kimi moved from her pillow, sliding closer to where the speaker was sitting on the edge of the coffee table. "Wade...what do you mean?" she said half-cautiously, as if she were somewhat afraid to hear the answer.

:::The force manipulating the Resonance Conduit,::: said Wade, :::is an electromagnetic signal...and it's originating from somewhere in the Celler environment. The signal is what caused the change in the realignment of the poles, and the tilt of the Earth and...:::

Mark moved forward on the couch. "Wade – where? Can't you just shut the damn thing off?"

:::We can't find it::: Wade replied quickly, his tone now beginning to indicate a rising level of frustration. :::The wavelength of the signal is wide. Very wide. It's sliding through the magnetic spectrum so fast that we can't get more than a fraction of a second reading. That doesn't tell us where it is...just that it exists. We've been doing a building-by-building search of Celtaja for about the last week, ever since we discovered the signal. We've gone through nearly the entire city...and nothing. Even if we found it and shut it off, with everything out of balance, the sudden change could be even more disastrous. But that's not all we're worried about with the signal right now.:::

Mark looked slightly up from the speaker to between Kimi and the chair Monique and Frannie were in, as if not focusing on anything but thought. "...what else..." he said in a low tone.

:::Usually, when the Conduit finishes its monthly cycle, it becomes inert and actually disengages from the Flesher environment...but the electromagnetic signal pulled on the Conduit...like it was guiding it...and it created...an open rift in the Conduit Pathway...and the signal is holding it open.:::

Mark's expression darkened a little. "The Conduit is locked open?"

:::In the Southwest US.:::

Frannie and Kimi immediately traded looks with open mouths and a long gasp from Frannie. "The Grand Canyon!" blurted Kimi.

:::On the South Rim, near a place called Navajo Point. The other end is locked open just outside Celtaja:::

"That's what they were talking about on the radio," Frannie said. "A tube from the sky...'like the Sun landed in the Canyon'..."

:::That's not all::: Wade said. :::With the change in the Earth's tilt and the magnetic fields, something else happened...the frequencies between second- and third-dimensional properties have also changed. They're...very close to being...the same frequency now.:::

"Explain, Wade?" asked Frannie. "Like Ki said...all about not a lot of scientists in this room..."

:::The electrostatic coating a Celler has to have before traveling to the Flesher environment...with the changes in the magnetic fields and the Conduit...that coating is no longer needed for the trip. Misty is calling it a 'Cross-Phase Mass Proliferation'. Cellers can now go through the Conduit, almost as simple as walking through a tunnel. I think it was part of their plan.:::

Kimi exchange a short look with Mark, then turned back to the speaker. "...whose plan...Wade?"

There were a few seconds before Wade answered, his voice beginning to waver with a mix of shame and a slight weariness. :::Cellers...evil ones...the bad ones.::: This was dotted with new gasps from Frannie and Monique.

Mark brought his hands together to his face, resting his chin against his knuckles. "Wade...you mentioned a 'mass proliferation'. How many bad Cellers are we talking about here?"

Nearly ten seconds of silence went by before Mark asked again. "...Wade?"

:::...pretty much...all of them.:::

"Oh...God," breathed Frannie.

:::Misty said it could be that they're trying to put together some sort of army...an army of evil Cellers:::

"Armed with weapons they stole from the armory in Flagstaff," Mark growled. "Jesus...this could be the start of one hell of a war."

:::That's not the worst of it,::: Wade said, his voice becoming slightly more unsteady. :::With all the changes and the Conduit being locked open...it could cause much more than a war. The Conduit radiation level is stable right now because it's between cycles... but if it goes through another cycle with everything out of balance like it is...:::

"When's the next cycle?" asked Kimi.

:::It's on the 24th of July...the date of the next new moon. If it goes through its cycle without the magnetic field in place....it could cause wild fluctuations in the Conduit...and an irreversible instability between the Conduit and the Van Allen radiation belt around the Earth...and...:::

"Spell it out, Wade," prompted Mark through his hands.

Wade paused again. There was a sound from the speaker, almost like sniffling. :::At the very least...every single Celler in both environments could be...claimed by the Conduit flux...and without Earth's magnetic field to stabilize it...would most likely be...killed from the burst of extra radiation.:::

Frannie clutched onto Monique and began to sob.

:::That's not worst-case scenario:::

All heads swung to the small speaker at this statement. "Worse than every single Celler dying?" Kimi said.

:::The Van Allen belt could be disrupted...and could dissolve entirely. With the Earth not rotating, it would have no magnetic balance...it would tilt out of control...massive earthquakes...it might even cause the dissipation of the atmosphere...or even cause the Earth to...to leave its orbit...and drift out into space...or be pulled into the Sun.:::

Frannie turned back to Monique and her tears flowed anew. "I don't want m-my mom to die," she sobbed into Monique's arms. "I don't want y-OU to-die..._I_ don't waannna diieee..."

Mark sat back a little on the couch. "I just can't believe that evil Cellers would or even could cook up this nightmare."

:::Not all of them::: Wade said. :::They're being led by...:::

Mark sat up again, leaning a bit toward the speaker.

Wade began to talk in a faster pace. :::We...lost track of them a few years ago. They broke out of prison...about a year-and-a-half after we reclaimed them after the incident in Cairo...they've been hiding since then...until recently.:::

Kimi turned to Zach with her teeth clenched and her eyes alight with realization and anger. "Drakken and Shego," she hissed.

Mark turned his head down and a bit to the side. "They couldn't hack a Cross, so they opened their own by force." He squeezed his hand over his fist. "Dammit," he snarled.

"...Kim?"

William spoke again softly as eyes turned to the couch. "Kim?"

At the word "Cairo", Kim tensed and began to shake, her hand tightening around the handle of her teacup. Kimi rose to her knees at the sight of her mother's glazed expression staring at the table.

Inside, Kim's mind was a roiling sea of rage as she realized who was behind the rash of global disasters and the horrible finality of the possible results;

_Worldwide disruption and destruction._

_The blood of countless millions of innocents on Celler hands._

_Nearly getting killed in the street by hoods driven by the words of some jerk in Washington._

_And now, because of—_

_The end of the entire planet._

_The End of Everything._

_...!_

_**Tina.**_

_**Lynn.**_

_**Drexel.**_

Frannie jumped with a start as the handle snapped free from the cup, Kim's fingers still tight around it. The cup crashed to the table, shattering and sending the small amount of remaining tea flying, some spilling onto Zach's legs.

Kimi quickly stood. "Mom?"

Kim's expression was tightened in anger as she sprang from the couch to her feet, still shaking. "That Senator is still wrong," she hissed defiantly through her bared teeth, her fists clenched near her sides. "This wasn't caused by Cellers being here...it was all caused by a couple of...of rotten, crooked—" She suddenly lurched from the living room into the dining room, reappearing a second later with one of the lamps, turning for the basement, slamming the door behind her, her feet thudding heavily as she quickly descended the stairs.

Mark turned to Kimi. "Is there a phone in the basement?"

Kimi remained focused on the basement door for a few seconds. "...yeah..."

Mark turned back to the speaker. "Wade, I'll contact you on the Kimmunicator in a few. I have some questions."

:::Sure thing::: said Wade.

Mark reached for the "Call" button to break the connection. He pulled back his hand to rub at the back of his neck as he turned to his right. "If Wade can set it up, I'd like to use your phone to make a couple of calls outside the city."

"Of course," William said.

There were a couple of loud thumps from the basement. Mark turned in that direction and rose from the couch.

He was stopped by Frannie's hand at his arm, her eyes filled with pleading tears. "You gotta make this stop," she whined. "You gotta stop them from destroying the world."

Mark looked down at the distraught blonde, his hand turning to take hers. "Reading my mind, Frannie," he said. "Of course we'll see if there's a way. We'll do everything we can." He then turned back for the basement door. "But first I'm going to talk with Kim." Mark picked up the Kimmunicator from the table and walked to the basement door, closing it as he went down the stairs.

Kimi slowly sank back to a kneeling position next to Zach, settling onto her legs and leaning into his offered arm. Though not loud enough to be understood, talking could be heard from the basement, with Mark's baritone carrying through the door.

"Wish I knew what they were talking about," Frannie said.

"Bet I can guess," said Kimi, glancing in the direction of the basement door for a few seconds. "Major Mark's asking Mom why she's all about halfway to animal..."

Monique shook her head slowly at Kimi. "In all the years I've known Kim, I've never seen her that...angry."

"I know why, now," Kimi said softly. "The heat Drakken and Shego caused by tilting the earth was what killed Aunt Tina...and almost everyone else..."

Nearly as if on cue, Kim's voice burned against the basement door, her tone rising, the string ending loudly enough to be clear to everyone in the room – "_killed my BEST FRIEND—" _trailed by a sound that caused William to clasp his hands tightly at his chin, and others in the room to look in other directions.

Helpless, uncontrolled crying.

Frannie leaned again to Monique, almost as if trying to hide from the sound. Monique placed an arm around her and looked up to Kimi. "What was that sentence you didn't finish earlier...?"

Kimi also appeared to be trying to shut out the sounds from the basement, staring down to the table as Zach squeezed her upper arm. After a moment, she looked up slightly, her eyes rather distant. "...Jackhammers..."

This caused William to give Kimi a puzzled look. "When Mark showed up this morning," she said, looking up in his direction, "Moni and I were talking about the fight in Cairo...I was saying how Mom really tore Shego up...because she thought she had killed me..." She looked to Monique, then back fully to her father. "...I said that after the fight...Shego looked...like she had run through a room full of jackhammers."

Monique looked down to Frannie, who was still nestled against her chest. "As mad as Kim is right now, if she gets to Shego...something tells me she's gonna make her wish it _was_ just jackhammers..."

to be continued...


	9. A Plan to Set The Sun

The next few hours in the Hodge household after the revelation of the design behind the global catastrophe and the identities of its architects were much like the conditions outside; a strange and dark atmosphere painted with swaths of shock and sorrow, anger and hurt.

Kim emerged from the basement about a half-hour after storming downstairs, and even in the soft light of the small lamps, her expression told the extent of the emotion she had poured out to Mark after the horrible realization that the deaths of millions and even Tina's sudden demise was brought about by Cellers. It was a further blow to Kim that the facts presented by Wade during the conference call actually lent weight to Senator Conlin's damning charges against them. She immediately started for the bedroom, giving a weak motion for William to follow, where the sounds of Kim's outrage and pain renewed.

The effect was also dominant in the living room, Kimi dealing with hearing her mother's alternating between enraged yelling and vulnerable weeping. Frannie was also reacting from the terrible scenes painted by Wade on the phone and the scenes they caused in the house, and the added horror at knowing that Cellers – even if evil ones – were behind the present worldwide terrors.

Mark remained in the basement after Kim had left, engaging in a long talk with Wade on the phone about any further details of the sinister workings he discovered and the ramifications they held for the fate of the world, jotting notes on a pocket electronic notepad he had brought, and then a pad and paper when the notepad became full. The discussion also delved into Wade and Mark's theories on whether these disasters were intended as part of Drakken and Shego's "plan" – and what if anything could be done to stop or counter them with the partial resources available.

Sleep was an elusive concept on this night. Kim and William remained in their bedroom through the night, discussing Kim's feelings after the discovery that her main "foes" on the show, bent on hatching plots to take over and destroy the world, had somehow become exactly that off the show – and that part of the collateral damage of their plot took the form of the death of one of her dearest long-time friends.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

**9. A Plan To Set The Sun**

Monday, July 7th, 2025  
6:34 AM.  
Mark awoke from what most people might call a "cat nap" – but to Mark, it was a night's sleep when his mind was working as hard as it had been since the previous evening. He closed his eyes again and rolled to his back on the couch, placing a palm over his forehead, slowly massaging up over the front of his scalp.

Out of all the thoughts swirling in his mind, one surfaced above the rest—

_I don't remember leaving a light on..._

Mark let his head slip to the right against his hand.

"Hi."

Kimi was seated at the edge of a chair about 8 feet from the front of the couch, bent far forward with her legs spread a bit and her arms out to either side. She was drawing a pair of ten-pound weights outward in an arc from near the floor to about chest level. "I was just working on my lats a little," she said. "I was trying not to make any noise. I hope I didn't wake you up."

Mark moved a little more to lie on his side to face her. "No, you didn't, Ki," he said, swinging his legs to the floor and sitting up. "I learned a long time ago how to get by on very little sleep."

Kimi motioned to the couch. "You know that's a hide-a-bed...right? You didn't have to sleep that way."

This brought a bit of a grin to Mark's face. "That's another thing I've learned...how to sleep wherever there's room. By the time I got off the phone with Wade, I just wanted to lie down...not fuss with pulling out a bed." He scooted to his left a little as Kimi rose from the chair to join him on the couch. "Ki," he said, "I'm a bit worried about your mother. She had quite a shock last night."

Kimi looked more down toward the floor, letting her hands settle into her lap. "Yeah," she said softly. "We heard her all the way upstairs...and then after she came up and went into the bedroom." She stopped for a moment as Mark placed an arm over her shoulders. "In an indirect way, Drakken and Shego are kind of responsible for Aunt Tina's death."

Mark nodded slowly. "You're right, it was indirect," he said, "because they didn't target her specifically...but Kim said that it was one of the consequeces from the weather conditions they brought on in messing with the tilt of the Earth. She holds them directly responsible."

"Did you find anything else out about how Drakken and Shego could have done all this?"

"I had Wade set up another conference call early this morning with some people on the base," said Mark. "He filled us in on a little more of the details on the Conduit rift and what they could be doing with it."

"What did he say?"

Mark looked a bit away. "Well...it's hot. Not heat...but radiation. Without the the magnetic field, the Conduit is putting out quite a bit of solar energy. Normally, the Conduit doesn't emit much radiation locally...but the way it is right now, Fleshers can't get within 100 yards of the bottom of the Canyon where the rift actually is."

"And it's not affecting Cellers that way?"

"Not quite. But it's affected the ones that have come through the Conduit. They're...all there is."

Kimi's brow raised slightly. "What-uh, what do you mean?"

You know that a Cross produces another iteration of whichever Celler goes through it," said Mark, with Kimi nodding. "The Cellers that are coming through...are their only iterations. No copies."

Kimi's eyes and mouth slowly widened. "That means...that if a Celler who came through the rift...dies..."

"That's it..."

Kimi looked down again. "Maybe it's good that it's only the evil Cellers, then."

"Well," Mark said, reaching to the arm of the couch for his electronic notepad, "it's not just them...a few others have come through the rift as well." He turned on the notepad and read a little. "Wade said that the region near the Conduit there and the rift here has Cellers in those regions...in an unstable state, both mentally and physically...it's almost like they're...zombies. In the area near the locked Conduit, they're disoriented...and fairly easily controlled through suggestions."

"It's not affecting Drakken and Shego, too?"

"There must be something they're using to counter the effects...Wade is trying to find out what could block them."

Kimi turned to Mark, slowly closing one eye in suspicion. "you said unstable...physically..."

Mark looked at his notepad again for a moment, searching. "Wade said it has something to do with the...cellular makeup of Cellers between second- and third dimension properties, and the lack of the electrostatic coating they normally get before a conventional Cross...without that, they're exposed to...a 'local slowdown of the Higgs field' is the term that Wade used. He was talking deep science. He said they might be susceptible to...anomalies...or 'de-resolution'."

Kimi's jaw dropped a little. "Uhh...you mean...disappear?"

"That was one of the ways he described it."

"What other ways are there?"

Mark hesitated for a few seconds before looking up to the young girl to his right. "...you don't really want to know, Ki."

He slipped his notepad into the pocket of his shirt and reached again to the arm of the couch, picking up the Kimmunicator. "Wade is setting up another conference call with the base later this morning. I think I need to fire up the grill to boil some water for coffee." He then rubbed the back of his neck. "I will tell you something you do want to know, though. When you're not getting a lot of sleep, caffeine can be one of your best friends."

Kimi had to let a small snicker slip. "Uh, Major Mark...you're talking to a college girl...late-night crams for tests? All about Caffeine City."

Mark chuckled a little himself as he rose from the couch. "It's good that you made friends early. Caffeine can be a long-time friend, too...especially when you get older...like me."

Kimi rose to join Mark, sliding an arm around his waist. "Aww, you're not old, Major Mark...you're still just in your forties."

"True," Mark said as they started in the direction of the stairs, "but it's the late forties...and that's just chronological aging. If you add in life experiences...it sometimes can seem like a lot more than that."

"In that case," replied Kimi, "what's going on now is making us all a lot older..."

Mark nodded. "...yeah." He then put a smile on. "C'mon. Help an old man up the stairs so he can make some coffee." He continued as they began their ascent. "..._real_ coffee...not that instant microwave crud you kids probably drink..."

Kimi uttered a slight giggle as they approached the door to the main level.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

7:42 AM.

"G'morning, Dad."

The aroma staggered William's return "Morning" as he emerged from the hallway into the dining room. "I...thought I was hallucinating when I smelled..."

"Nope, it's for real." said Monique, taking a sip of her coffee.

Mark held up a mug from the table, motioning to the large glass decanter at the center of the table. "Get a cup. It's still hot."

William moved to the chair across from Mark, watching as Mark reached for the decanter, tiny wisps of steam rising as he poured it. William's eyes edged closed as he brought the mug to his lips. "Strange how when everything else is out of whack, the simplest overlooked pleasures can be so appreciated."

"It's good, yeah?" Kimi said.

William took another long sip. "It's fantastic. How did you make it?"

"Right in here," said Mark. "You boil the water separate...coffee and a filter go in the top, and you just pour the water through. Melfina found it online a couple of years ago. It filters out all the acids and bitterness that make coffee taste harsh. We make all our coffee this way, even when the power's on." Mark pointed to the decanter again. "It makes up to ten cups at a time. We even saved Kim a cup for when she joins us."

William stopped in the middle of a third sip, looking down a bit. "Kim said she's...sleeping in this morning. She won't be out until later."

Mark nodded. "I can certainly make another pot, when she does, umm, get up..."

"Last night was pretty harsh," Frannie said, nursing her mug in both hands on the table. "What Wade said pretty much backed up everything she said that rat Senator was saying on the radio last week."

"Probably another reason Wade wanted it over a secure line," said Mark, "and once I told him some of the accusations the Senator made, he pretty much feels the same way Kim does about it. He knows they're based on fear, not fact...and he could see how someone who doesn't have the whole story might misinterpret it and take it to the illogical conclusion that it's _all_ Cellers to blame...not just a couple of evil ones."

Kimi's brow lowered slightly. "...must have been the 'conclusion' those two came to before they jumped Mom in the Market last weekend." She turned to Zach. "We need to get a hold of a cop somewhere to find out if they got picked up or not."

"Kim told me about that attack last night," Mark said. "I didn't ask anything about the mark on her face when I first got here...but I was hoping it wasn't from violence. When she described how she got it, that's when I realized that the light event was actually the least of her worries in the last month." He shook his head slightly. "Doesn't rain but when it pours..."

Frannie stared into her mug. "I for one think it's rained enough."

Monique leaned to place an arm around Frannie, patting her shoulder. "Got that right, girlfriend."

"Buck up, guys," Mark said. "Wade is still hard at work on this...he's putting together a conference call with people on the base and a few scientists. We know what's been making all these changes. Now the focus is on working to put it all back right."

"Sounds like all about careful balance, from what Wade said last night," said Kimi. "One wrong step, and everything goes bye-bye."

"I think the first priority is finding out how Drakken and Shego caused all the changes," said Mark. "Wade has got a large-scale search going for the magnetic signal's source. Once they find that, the next task is figuring out how it was used to make the changes...and then how to reverse them."

William finished his mug. "At least we still have coffee."

"Want the last cup?" offered Mark. "I'll brew another pot in a while for Kim when she comes out."

William looked down away from the mug. "...when," he echoed softly.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

10:11 AM.

"Hey...Kim...you up?"

The soft voice brought Kim slowly from her stomach on the bed, sitting up somewhat.

Monique sat beside Kim on the bed. "I brought you a little something," she said. "Let me get the light..."

"no don't—"

Kim's low protest was cut short by the click of a portable lamp sitting on the nightstand, the light revealing what she had rathered remain more concealed; a pallid, careworn face draped with tangled strings of neglected, unruly hair.

Monique blinked hard a couple of times, as if trying to clear her eyes of her friend's frazzled appearance. "Oh, girl..."

Kim made a half-hearted attempt at clearing the hair from her face. "Rough night..." she mumbled.

Monique helped a little, brushing strands aside. "Did you sleep at all?"

"...did I what?"

"Then this is just what you need," said Monique, reaching to the nightstand and presenting a cup and saucer. "Chamomile with a little honey." She moved a little more hair from Kim's eyes as she took the saucer. "Hon, I know things are rough right now, but you just can't stay in here and beat yourself up over it all...it'll eat you up inside."

Kim looked up from the cup, her emerald irises a prominent contrast against the tear-reddened orbs of her eyes. "...they've destroyed it all, Monique," she said slowly, softly. She turned to place the saucer on the nightstand. "All the work that's been done nearly from the first Cross to show Fleshers that Cellers are not only real, but can bring joy to their lives beyond just the shows they see on their TVs. The work for nearly forty years to integrate the two environments. The work to ensure time and time again that the Cellers that aren't _supposed_ to be here, can't _come_ here. But now they _are_ here...and all that work is gone...and so are millions of innocent people—" her face fell a little further, her mouth souring and her eyes glassing over in tears "—and so is one of my best friends..."

She looked into her lap for a moment before continuing. "One minute, I'm crying my eyes out over the whole thing, and the next, I'm so mad about what they've done, I just want to..." she stopped, her eyes tightly closed, her head shuddering slightly, her fists balled – then broke loose with a sudden shaking sob, her tears spilling down her cheeks. "T-his isn't eating me up in-side...it's t-EARing my SOUL in-_TWO_—!"

Monique reached to her weeping friend, patting her back softly as she heaved sob after sob. "Hang in, girlfriend. Drakken and Shego...they'll get theirs. Wade is super-smart...and Mark...well Mark has the entire Air Force behind him, now that Wade helped him get it going again. If there's a way out of this, they'll get it together and do it to it. Trust me...I know like I know like I know...they'll get theirs...the bad guys always do...just like on the show."

_They gotta get something together,_ she thought, holding Kim tighter, _or this is gonna tear the whole planet in two._

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

11:38 AM.  
Monique watched as Frannie and Kimi laid the pieces out on the board in their initial formation. She took a sip of her tea and leaned a bit to Frannie. "Think you could do it?"

"Sure," Frannie said. "We already have the bread...and the butter...and we know we can get eggs and milk. The only thing is, will the grill get the griddle hot enough..."

"Hot as any stovetop," said Mark.

Frannie clasped her hands together. "That's it then. A little bit of syrup, and we can try French toast." She turned to Zach. "Feel like another trip to the store?"

"You forgot the cinnamon and vanilla," came a soft voice from the edge of the hallway.

Everyone turned to the doorway of the dining room, where Kim was leaning against the jamb. "...but we already have those, in...in the cupboard..."

Kimi was first from her chair. "Mom...!"

William quickly turned and also slid from his seat. "Honey, sit down...please..."

Kim lightly protested the sudden attention, raising an arm to Kimi as she offered to assist her into the chair. "I'm alright, I'm alright...I'm o-kay. I just need some more sleep..."

"More like _some_ sleep," Monique muttered. She leaned slightly to Frannie, covering her mouth. "All we need is eggs now...'cause Kim is toast."

Kim landed rather hard in the chair where William had been sitting at the end of the table. "I just came out to...to see how everyone was doing..."

"Not to be cruel," said Monique, "but...probably better than you." This was met with a rather shocked look from Frannie. "What?" Monique continued, "The girl is running on no sleep! Gotta call it like I see it."

"She called it," Kim said almost in a whisper as her head lowered to her arm on the table.

Mark rose from the table. "I have something that will help," he said, walking into the hall to the basement door. "Be right back."

As Mark descended into the basement, Kimi placed a hand on Kim's upper back, caressing gently, bringing a long soft whimper-moan from Kim. Kimi had to blink away the mist that had collected in her eyes. She looked up to Monique. "All about exhausted," she said softly.

Mark reappeared from the basement and returned to the dining room, stopping by Kim's chair and placing a small white tablet on the table in front of her. "Here you go," he said, continuing to the sink to get a cup from the counter. "I'll get you some water."

Kim slowly raised her head from her arm until her bloodshot eyes emerged enough to squint at the tablet in front of her. "...Drugs?"

Mark ran the faucet for a few seconds. "Nothing you don't already have," he smiled.

Kim picked up the tablet, blinking hard at it, her eyes crossing as she tried to focus on the pill. "Looks like aspirin...but how will that make—"

Mark set the cup down. "Not aspirin...melatonin. I pop one once in a while when I need sleep but I'm not tired enough."

Kim eyed the tablet again. "This won't hurt me or mess me up?"

"It's something that the body produces naturally," said Mark. "It helps you get to sleep...except when you fight it off...like you are right now..."

Kim held the tablet in her palm. "Well...if it's something my body makes anyway..." She brought her hand to her mouth, then picked up the cup and took a long slow drink.

Mark smiled. "Trust me...a short while from now, you won't be thinking about anything but sleep."

Kim slowly finished the water. "...easy for you to say."

"Matter of fact, you might want to think about hitting the hay before it starts to kick in."

Kim slowly rose from the chair, her eyes not really focusing on anything. "If you say so," she mumbled before turning toward the hallway and giving a slight wave.

William returned to his chair. "Thanks Mark. I'm not sure how long it would have been before Kim would have gotten any real sleep on her own will."

Mark settled back into his own chair. "Oh, it would have happened eventually," he said. "The body just overrides anything the mind is telling it, and you just...shut down. The melatonin will just speed up that process."

Kimi went slowly back to her chair, not quite believing the state she had seen her mother in just a moment ago. Frannie placed a touch on her forearm as she sat. "You okay?"

Kimi turned slowly from gazing at the edge of the hallway. "Uhh...yeah."

"I know you're all about worried about your mom...but Mark said that medicine is going to help her sleep. She'll be better after a nice long nap."

Kimi looked at Frannie for a moment – then her eyes shifted to the table. "After last night...I'm not so sure the person who was just in this room even was my mom..."

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

12:26 PM.

Monique watched as her dice spilled out of the cup, dancing across the board.

Four-three.

"_That's_ right!" She shouted, reaching to take her two remaining pieces from the board. "That's three in a row, girlfriend."

"Sheesh...all about on a roll, Moni," Frannie said, setting her cup down on the board with a bit of force. "Get the knife and fork...I'm done."

Monique looked around the table with a rather proud expression. "Aaallright...who's next?" She brought up a hand. "Ki? Care to step up?"

Kimi brought up her own hand of deflection. "Ahh...no. I'm all about know better than to get near the 'gammon when you're on one of your streaks."

Monique shifted her challenge. "Mr. H?"

William smiled, declining. "I'm following Ki's advice here," he said. "Like daughter, like father."

Monique looked to the living room, where Mark and Zach were seated on the couch. "Would Mark wanna play?"

"No go there," said Kimi. "Major Mark isn't into games that involve chance or dice. I found that out when I first met him back when I was 15."

Monique settled back into her chair in a huff. "It's official then...none of y'all are any fun when I'm on a lucky streak."

"You mean none of us are fresh meat when you're on a lucky streak," pouted Frannie, sending Kimi into giggles.

Mark rose from the couch and stood at the entryway to the dining room. "I just heard something out front," he said. "I think someone might be here." The words were punctuated with a rather loud knock at the front door.

William rose from his chair as the knock came again along with muffled words. "Eastgate Police. Anyone home?"

"Careful, Dad," cautioned Kimi as William crossed the living room. "Peeker first."

William entered the foyer and looked through the small viewfinder at the front door at two men about William's age on the porch, both with badges hanging around their necks. "It's the police, alright," he said, unlocking the deadbolt and turning the knob.

Kimi stood, making a motion toward the living room. "Maybe they finally caught those guys that jumped Mom."

William opened the door and unlocked the outside door, holding it open slightly. "Hi there," he said. "How can I help you?"

"Hi," one of the men said. "I'm Officer Malloy and this is Officer Ryckman. May we come in?"

"Sure," offered William, opening the door a little more for them.

The others came from the dining room as William called from the living room. "It's the police, guys."

The two officers entered the living room. "Hi everybody," said Malloy. "We just need a few moments of your time."

"Hi," said Kimi from the doorway of the dining room. "You're here about the two guys that attacked my mom at the Market last week, right?"

"No," Ryckman said, "but we're still on the hunt for them."

Malloy pulled a notebook and pen from his pocket. "We're actually here to list and register any and all Cellers presently residing here."

A short wave of gasps swept the room. Kimi walked further into the living room. "Y-you're here for what?"

"List and register any Celler elements living here," repeated Malloy.

Kimi's voice raised a little, along with her anger. "On whose authority?"

"Order from Eastgate PD," said Malloy, "on authority of the Mayor of Eastgate proper and the Governor of Pennsylvania."

Kimi turned to Mark, her jaw dropping a bit.

The officer turned to William, opening his notebook. "May I have your name?"

"William Hodge."

Malloy wrote a bit. "Are you the head of the household?"

"Yes."

"And are you in possession of any Cellers?"

"Po-session??" steamed Kimi. "Cellers aren't possessions! They're people, not chattel!"

"Ki..." William said, holding up a hand, then turning back to the officers. "I'm not in 'possession' of any Cellers...I normally live with one, my wife...and our daughter is home from college, because of the recent conditions."

Malloy motioned with his pen to Kimi and Monique. "So it's just these two, then?"

Kimi took another step toward the officers, now showing a bit of teeth. "Okay...first off, flattering as the concept sounds, I'm not a true Celler...I was born _here_—"

Malloy lowered his notebook for a second. "No, 'first off', I don't think you want to take that attitude with me. What's your name?"

Kimi shifted her expression of anger to a slight defiance. "Kimi...Angelina...Hodge."

"You're the daughter?"

"Yep," Kimi answered rather curtly.

"Where are you going to college?"

"Are you sure that's your business?" Kimi answered back quickly.

"Ki!" William snapped, then turning back to Malloy. "She's second-year at Penn State."

Kimi let out an audible sigh. "Junior in the fall."

Malloy turned back to Kimi. "You're how old?"

"21, last April."

Malloy wrote for a few seconds. "Okay." He then turned and took a couple of steps toward the doorway to the dining room, where Monique was standing. "Your name?"

Monique also took a bit of a defiant stance at the officer's questioning, crossing her arms, but complied. "Monique Coleman. No relation."

"And your age?"

"Celler," returned Monique. "Don't have one."

Malloy wrote for a second. "How long have you been here?"

"Depends on which 'here' you're talking about," Monique replied, slightly drippingly. "You mean Eastgate, the Flesher environment, the state of Pennsylvania, or the state of being moderately disgusted?"

Malloy looked up from his notebook. "You too with the attitude?"

Monique narrowed her eyes in the direction of the officer. "Little bit."

Mark approached Officer Ryckman. "I have to ask the purpose of this."

Ryckman looked up a bit at the giant Major. "And I have to ask your name," he said.

"Major Mark D. Broderson, Air Force Special Investigator." He reached for his back pocket—

He stopped immediately as Ryckman stepped back, making a similar move to the semi-automatic pistol at his right hip.

"It's...a wallet," Mark said. Ryckman retreated from his sidearm and Mark continued his motion, bringing out his wallet and flipping it open, showing the officer his military ID card.

"Willow Grove?" asked Ryckman. "How come you're here?"

"Long-time friend of the family," said Mark. "I brought them some items from the base."

"You mentioned your wife is a Celler," said Malloy. He motioned to Monique. "Is this her?"

Monique shot the officer a rather incredulous look. "Does 'Coleman' sound like 'Hodge'?"

Malloy countered with his own expression of annoyance. "You give me one more smart comment, and your next one will come from the inside of a jail cell."

"On what charge??" Kimi piped. "Display of disgust over improper disrespectful questioning?"

William placed a hand on Kimi's shoulder and looked to the officer. "You have to forgive the tension," he said. "The entire family has been under quite a bit of stress in the past week."

Malloy wrote again for a moment, then looked up. "Okay," he breathed, "we'll get the information we need and we'll be on our way. What is your wife's name?"

"Kim Possible-Hodge," said William.

"And where is she now?" said Malloy, writing.

"She's in the bedroom...sleeping. She had a long night."

"I see...can you wake her up?"

"I don't know that I'd try that," said Mark. "She's been up all night after getting some bad news. She took some Melatonin a little while ago. She's probably sleeping pretty hard by now."

Malloy wrote again in the notebook. "Let's see if she can come out, just for a moment...then she can go back to—"

"Didn't you hear him?" Monique interrupted the officer. "He said she's dead-tired! Take his word for it and let her sleep!"

Malloy suddenly slapped his notebook down on the dining room table. "Yep, that's it," he said, grabbing for Monique's left arm, turning her rather harshly, bringing her arm behind her. "Face the table and place your arms behind your back. You're under arrest."

"No!" Frannie burst. "You can't—"

She was drowned out by Kimi: "Oh, this is all-about-_bullshit!_" she spat, causing the room to freeze at the sudden expletive. "Let her up! You have nothing to hold her on."

"You'd better choose your next words carefully," growled Malloy, still holding Monique to the table, pressing his other hand to her back between her shoulder blades, "or you're going to be the next one in cuffs. You say you're in college...so you're supposed to be smart...I know you're not about to threaten a police officer."

Kimi balled her fists. "Threaten?" she snarled. "Yeah...I am—"

"Ki!" William shot at her.

"—my 'threat' will be a letter of complaint to your superiors starting with lack of probable cause...it'll go right through entrapment and unlawful arrest and go straight to Habeus Corpus if you don't let her up off that table. She's not the first threat to you and she did nothing to bring about your actions, and there's a room full of witnesses that'll back up every word of the charges I just listed." Kimi didn't move a muscle from her stance, between and slightly to the side of the two policemen, letting the tone and weight of her words resonate with the officers.

Malloy also didn't move from holding Monique against the table, but turned his head back to his partner.

"Do you think I'm kidding here??" Kimi yelled. "I can have that letter written and in your captain's hands before you even get back to the station, much less put together a convincing cover story on the way!"

Ryckman turned to Kimi. "Even if we were going to 'put together a story', I kind of doubt you could get there faster than two cops on horsebac—"

"_I HAVE A FUNCTIONAL FREAKING HUMMER RIGHT OUTSIDE!!_" she shrieked. "I'll see your badges ripped from your blues so fast, they're leave _burn marks!_"

The rest of the room was still frozen from the thickness of the tension between Kimi and the officers, and still frozen from the viciousness of Kimi's outburst.

Ryckman blinked first, his eyes shifting quickly between his partner and Kimi. "We're just trying to do our jobs."

Kimi backed off a bit. "That's exactly what I'm studying in school to do," she said. "Your job. And I know your job is to adjudicate – _not_ intimidate."

Malloy looked back to Kimi. "You're studying to be a cop?"

"Third-year Law Enforcement. I'll be going through the 19-week Justice and Safety Institute course this year. I can probably apply for internship at a district by then...and with the marks I've got, I'll be placed right after my senior year."

Ryckman looked again to Malloy. "The girl knows her stuff, Hank."

Malloy looked to Kimi again, his eyes narrowing for a few seconds – then released his hold on Monique. "Let's ease up on that smart mouth."

"Long as you ease up on the bully tactics," Monique answered back, rising from the table. She immediately straightened, bringing her arms across her body and rubbing her left shoulder as she moved to a chair. Frannie rounded the table quickly to sit in the chair between Monique and the officer, her expression also one of stern disgust.

Malloy picked his notebook up from the table and walked into the living room. "Sorry about the disturbance, Mr. Hodge," he said. "We don't need to wake your wife...but I do need to see her for identification purposes. Where is the bedroom?"

"Got a warrant?"

Malloy's head quickly snapped back to Kimi. "What?"

"You're searching the house for Cellers," Kimi said. "A search for a person or evidence requires a warrant, absent exigent circumstances or the free and voluntary consent of the homeowner or a person with reasonably apparent use of or control over the property—" she motioned to William and herself "—that's ether him, or me."

Ryckman and Malloy looked at each other, with the bare hint of a smile creeping onto Ryckman's face.

"Do you believe this kid??" said Malloy, who then turned to William. "Mr. Hodge...would you allow me to accompany you to the bedroom to identify..." he looked in his notebook "...Kim Possible-Hodge?"

Now a slight smirk slipped over William's expression. "Well, I already know her...but sure. It's this way, at the end of the hall."

As William and Malloy walked into the hall, Ryckman turned to Kimi. "If you know the rest of your studies as well as you just rattled off that search criteria, you're going to make one hell of a cop," he said.

"Everything except firearms," said Kimi, pointing over her shoulder to Mark, "but that's where he comes in."

"They giving you any training in hand-to-hand?"

Zach, who had remained seated on the couch the entire time, suddenly burst into laughter. Ryckman turned to the young man on the couch amidst more laughter. "Dude, she's almost a second-degree Black Belt in Karate. I'd say she's got the hand-to-hand covered."

"You've been awful quiet through all this," said Ryckman, producing his own notebook. "Who are you?"

Zach wiped at an eye, still chuckling. "I'm Zach Corello," he said. "I'm the boyfriend through all this. I'm also her weapons trainer through all this—uhh, except for firearms—" At this point both he and Kimi pointed to Mark and said simultaneously "—that's where he comes in." The two of them then broke into laughter.

Ryckman looked to Mark, who just brought up his hands and shook his head slightly.

Ryckman now shook his head as well and slipped his notebook back into his shirt pocket. "Yeah...he's definitely the boyfriend, alright."'

Ryckman turned his head to the hallway as William and Malloy returned to the living room. "Did you ID the wife?"

"Yep," said Malloy. "It's as they said, she's sleeping."

"Okay," said Ryckman, "we need to get going."

Malloy nodded. "One last question to everyone...are you aware of any other Cellers living in this part of town?"

The question, given events in the minutes before, almost seemed inappropriate, but was expected by some. It was a few seconds before the officer got any answer, which took the form of various shakes of heads and "no" "not in the immediate area."

"We'll be on our way, then," said Malloy, turning for the door with his partner, accompanied by William. "Everyone stay safe."

"We'll feel safer if you catch the guys that beat up my mom," said Kimi.

Malloy stopped just inside the front door and turned. "Maybe you should teach your mom some of that Karate."

Kimi's eyes lit for a second in a renewal of her anger – then she painted her expression with a bit of acquiescence. "She's fourth-degree herself. She taught _me_ that Karate...and even a Black Belt can be surprised and overpowered."

Malloy turned to William. "We're still actively looking for them." He then moved onto the porch to join his partner. William watched as they walked out to the driveway, where two horses stood, their reins tied to the rear bumper of Mark's Hummer. They untied and straddled their mounts, turning out of the driveway and into the street, the sound of the hooves against the concrete adding to the almost surreal image to William before he closed and locked the doors.

"What a _jerk_," Kimi said as William re-entered the living room.

"Even if he was a 'jerk'," said William, "you shouldn't smart off to a cop."

"That guy shouldn't even _be_ a cop," Kimi sneered.

"I mean it." William snapped. "Everyone is under a lot more pressure right now...especially law enforcement."

"Yes sir," said Kimi, turning for the dining room. "Moni? Moni, you okay?"

Frannie turned as Kimi entered the room. "He hurt her shoulder," she said, "jerking her around like that."

"It's just sore," said Monique, rubbing her arm. "That...and my pride, but not so much. Thanks for sticking up."

"Like I said, that guy shouldn't have a badge if he's going to bully people like that."

Mark now entered the dining room for a second. "I'm not sure about the pride, but I have something that will help the shoulder." He then went again into the basement.

"I'm not defending what he did," said Frannie, "...but your dad is kind of right...it's all about everyone's on edge right now with all the crazy stuff going on."

"They did say one thing right," said Monique. "You're gonna be a good cop."

Mark came up from the basement with a small jar. "Roll up your sleeve," he said to Monique as he opened the jar and dipped a couple of fingers into it, bringing out a small dab of a jelly-like substance.

Monique brought up the sleeve of her t-shirt. Her eyes lightened somewhat as she sniffed at the air. "Smells like menthol."

"It's Tiger Balm," said Mark. "It's great for stiffness and soreness. I use it sometimes to help warm up before workouts."

Mark applied the ointment, first with fingers, then working it in a bit with his palm. Monique started to caution – "Careful, its kind of—" – then almost immediately melted into her chair, a smile spreading across her face and her eyes crossing slightly as they began to drift to semi-closed slits. "—awwww, yyyeeeahhh..."

Mark smiled widely as he worked the remnant of the ointment into his hands, then closed the jar. "I always have a jar with me. Let me know if you want to use it again."

Monique picked up the jar, reading the label. "Tiger Balm," she said slowly. "Amazing stuff."

Mark had to chuckle. "That face you just made when I put on the ointment? Melfina had that look for a solid hour the first time I gave her a back rub using that stuff."

Monique looked up to Mark with a bit of a sly smile. "A whole hour of that? That face I just made when you put on the ointment? That means I'm jealous of Melfina."

Mark chuckled again. "Glad to help."

Zach's voice came from the living room. "Hey Mark? The Kim thing on the table just went off."

Mark peeled away from the table. "Wade must have that conference call set up." He entered the living room, followed by Kimi, and took the blue device from the table. "Thanks Zach," he said, pressing the center button.

The screen came to life as Kimi flopped onto the couch next to Zach. "'Kim thing on the table'," she mocked. "If I told you once, it's all about billion times...it's 'Kimmunicator'." she punctuated her point with a elbow to Zach's ribs, quickly enough to bring an "oof" from the young man.

:::Hey Mark,::: said Wade. :::How are things with you guys?:::

"Hi Wade," Mark replied. "Not too bad...if you don't count the incident with the police a few minutes ago."

:::Police? What happened?:::

"They're going through the city looking for Cellers," said Monique at the doorway to the dining room.

:::What? I thought that Senator didn't even get his legislation to a vote.:::

"It's on a local level," said Mark. "At this point, it seems to be just identification and registration..."

Frannie poked her head into the doorway. "They were going to arrest Monique until Ki stepped in."

:::That's messed up::: said Wade, :::let's hope it doesn't go any further. Mark, I have that conference call put together. Sorry it took so long, but it's been kind of hard getting the science people I wanted on the line.:::

"Understood, Wade," Mark said.

:::I have four people standing by from the 111th, two more from STRATCOM, and three scientists of various backgrounds from MIT, all set for you to join in.:::

"Good deal," said Mark. "Give me a few to get to the phone in the basement. Kim is finally sleeping and I'm sure she doesn't want a phone ringing a bunch of times."

:::Five minutes do it?:::

"Perfect."

:::You got it::: Wade grinned. :::Making the call in 5.:::

Mark nodded as the screen blanked out. He tucked the Kimmunicator into his shirt pocket and patted Kimi on the shoulder. "I'll be downstairs for a bit...might be a while."

Kimi responded with a grin, her nose wrinkling a bit. "Got the hint. I'll be all about boil water for a fresh pot of coffee." As Mark started for the basement door, she added, "_Real_ coffee...not that instant microwave crud we college kids drink."

Mark began to chuckle at his echoed comment. Frannie and Monique gave Kimi a puzzled look. "Hey, he said it first," she smirked. "He's older...he should know."

Mark was still laughing softly as he descended the basement stairs, closing the door behind him.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

3:26 PM.

As Kimi reached the bottom of the basement stairs, Mark was sitting on the edge of the couch, leaned forward and talking into the phone while scribbling on a notepad on a small tray table, a number of papers scattered around it, and his electronic notepad off to the side.

"500 feet...and that's the absolute minimum? No...it's not a matter of testing that, just making sure that communications will still be open and at what safe distance that can still happen. The hot side? Okay...any shielding help? No, just wondering..."

Mark looked over as Kimi set a steaming cup on the corner of the table, then sat at the far end of the couch, setting a small plate with a sandwich on the center cushion. "This would be a good place to break for something to eat," he said into the phone while smiling at Kimi, "since something was just brought down to me, along with a hot cup of joe...alright...Wade, call back at—" he glanced at his watch "—1600 local. That's a half-hour. Okay."

Mark pressed the "talk" button and set down the phone next to the plate. "Your timing couldn't be better, Ki," he said, reaching for the cup. "All the deep stuff being thrown back and forth between Wade and the scientists..." He then took a small sip of the coffee, his expression drifting into one of warm delight. "Oh...that's perfect. My head was starting to swim from all this talk about magnetic properties, and 'Higgs fields' and 'telluric current'..."

"What are those?"

Mark shuffled through some of his notes on the tray table, reading as he spoke. "The telluric current is...something to do with...interaction between the magnetic field and the ionosphere...and the Higgs field thing—" he dropped the papers back onto the table "—well that was even too deep for me. But it has to do with why the Cellers who walked through the Conduit are so physically unstable. That and the current was almost all they were talking about. They were saying how they couldn't tell how Drakken pulled off all the changes in the Earth's tilt and the shift of the poles without causing massive earthquakes around the world...they've been trying to figure out how he did all this without shaking the planet apart, much less any other sign that it was happening."

"Sounds like putting it back is going to be all about tricky," Kimi said.

"Extremely tricky," said Mark. "Wade said that the first priority is finding the machinery that's producing the magnetic signal...then undoing the rift...all without...without harming either the Cellers that are in their environment or the ones that are here, through a Cross or not. Only after all that happens...they can start on trying to get things back to normal."

Kimi's face fell a little, her eyes casting toward the floor. "Wish I could do something to help...but science sure isn't my major..."

Mark reached an arm around the young woman, patting her shoulder. "It stands to reason," he said. "All this mess was brought about by a mad scientist...it's going to take a bunch of sane ones to fix it." He then retrieved his arm, eyeing the plate between them. "What do we have for dinner?"

Kimi broke into a quick smirk. "Some lunch."

The two looked at each other for a few seconds, broken by Mark. "Heh. You. What's on the plate?"

Kimi looked rather proudly at the offering. "Just some peanut butter with a bit of honey," she said. "I toasted the bread a little on the grill."

"Mmm," grinned Mark, picking up the plate and removing the napkin covering the sandwich. "Sounds good...this and the coffee should get me through the rest of this afternoon, if the call should last that long."

"It's good stuff," said Kimi. "Even Mom had half of one."

"Oh? When did she get up?"

Kimi looked away a bit dejectedly. "...I actually took it in to her...I don't think she's coming out of her bedroom today."

"I'm sorry, Ki," said Mark, "...but I'm not so sure that I can blame her. She's gone through quite a bit of emotion in the last day or so, and even in the last week, with everything going on. It's one thing to lose a close friend like Tina...but to find out that she was killed, even if indirectly, by evil...it can take a toll on almost anyone. Even someone as strong as your mother. Part of what she's been doing since last night is a kind of...re-mourning...and part of it is from feeling a bit of shame over her emotions."

"I get the second part," Kimi said, "but...re-mourning?"

"It happens sometimes in murder cases where the murderer or the exact cause of death isn't known right away, until after a search or some tests...or even an autopsy. Once the results come out, even if it's months, or even years after the crime, those closest to the victim...can feel those feelings all over again." He then gave Kimi a reassuring smile. "I'll see how she feels after supper...and I'll see what I can do to talk to her."

Kimi returned the smile, taking the sandwich from Mark's hand and placing it on the tray table. She then slid next to the large Major and slipped her arms around him in a close embrace. "You've done so much for my whole family over the years," she said against his chest as he returned the hug. "It's almost like you're...like that great big rich uncle who helps everybody."

Mark responded with a closed-mouth chuckle. "Well...can't say that I'm rich at all...it's not like I throw money around. But I like the family thing." He then pulled Kimi back a bit, looking into her eyes, his hands on her upper arms. "We've been through a lot together, you and I...and the rest of your family. In that way...I kind of think of us...as a sort of extended family. We're certainly close enough to each other to be family."

Kimi thought for a second. "Guess you could think of Mom and Melfina as sort of sisters."

"Exactly," said Mark. "They've been close a lot longer than we have...yeah, the sister thing fits well."

Kimi wore a wide grin as she again presented the plate. "This sandwich will fit well."

"Oh, I know it will," quipped Mark, "...even if it's not dinner."

Kimi rose from the couch with a titter. "I'll let you eat and wait for your phone call," she said.

"Tell everyone that I'll start the steaks around 7," said Mark. "I'll want to warm up the grill before then and get potatoes going for those who want one."

"I can take a list," said Kimi. "I'll start the grill and the potatoes around 6:30, in case you're still on the phone."

Mark smiled again. "Good deal. I appreciate that, Ki. You're good people."

Kimi turned at the bottom of the stairs back to Mark and nodded. "I come from good stock," she said – then climbed the stairs, two at a time.

Mark took a bite of his sandwich. _Aye, lass. That you do,_ he thought, taking another, larger bite into the toasted bread and dabbing at a dot of honey at the corner of his mouth with the napkin. _That you do indeed._

Wade initiated another conference call shortly after 4 PM, and the talks continued, this time with Mark taking many more notes about things discussed between Wade, the MIT scientists and the personnel from the STRATCOM facility, the discussion mainly focusing on how and if Doctor Drakken had measures in place to counter the effects the altered Resonance Conduit was having on the Cellers which had progressed through the wide-open portal between environments. By the end of the call, which lasted well more than two hours, the empty pad of paper Mark had brought was nearly full with facts, figures, lists and data relating to the Conduit rift, its formation – and theories on how to undo that which had been done.

Shortly before 6:30, Kimi descended into the basement again to check on Mark's progress. She found him not on the phone, but writing and rewriting furiously, rearranging notes, facts and figures. When asked how close he was to completion of his task, Mark looked up from his writing only long enough to tell Kimi that he would be a while yet. She responded by telling him that the grill was currently warming, and that there were several potatoes washed and wrapped in foil, ready to cook. She said that several of the rest planned to share their vegetable, each having only half of a potato. Kimi then made the offer of splitting one of the tubers with Mark, to which he agreed. Taking the cue as Mark went back to writing, Kimi's last question was how Mark would prefer his steak be cooked.

Mark emerged from the basement a little before 7:30, ready to eat. He entered the dining room, guided by the aroma of succulent steak, grilled to each person's personal preference.

Except for his.

Mark was a bit surprised to learn that Kimi hadn't cooked his steak. When asked why, she merely explained that she had "forgotten how he wanted it". It was then that Mark noticed a second vacant chair at the table.

It was also then that Kimi pointed out the steak sitting next to his, also waiting to be cooked – medium rare.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

8:07 PM.

A soft knock on the bedroom door preceded its opening, the hallway aglow with the light of a portable lamp. Kimi stuck her head through the door, peering into the room. "Hi."

Kim was sideways on the bed, her legs dangling over the side. She raised her head from her pillow. "Hi, Ki,"

A slight winsome smile snuck onto Kimi's face. "You ready for some food?"

Kim rose to a sitting position. "...I could eat a little something. I smelled steaks cooking earlier."

Kimi opened the door further and entered the room, carrying the lamp. Her other hand held a folding chair, with a folding tray table tucked under her arm. Kim raised an eyebrow as her daughter leaned the chair against the side of the bed and began unfolding the legs of the table. "...valet service? Ki, you don't have to go to all this trouble. I can eat here on the bed..."

"No no," said Kimi. "Sit at the edge of the bed. The chair's not for you."

This raised Kim's eyebrow a little further until the doorway was filled with 6'7" of blond Major holding two plates, each topped with about ten ounces of Porterhouse. "Evening," he said, entering the room.

A slow smile slipped onto Kim's face, a mix between pleasure at the prospect of another hot meal, social grace, and a bit of surprise at her seemingly impromptu dinner guest. "Hi, Mark," she said as he placed the plates onto the small table. "You didn't eat with everyone else?"

"I'll get some silverware," said Kimi, moving to the door, "and whatever's left of the sauce for Mark."

Mark picked up the chair, unfolding it and placing it at the other end of the table. "I was downstairs doing paperwork," he said. "Ki was good enough to cook for everyone tonight...except these two. We're the last to eat. I thought we could share a table."

Kim swept her hair aside. "Um...okay. Sure."

Mark settled into the chair with a bit of a smile and swept his hand over the table. "This one is yours," he said. "It's medium-rare."

Kim looked over the offering. "Thanks...looks good...but I don't think I'm going to eat all that much..." She pulled the plate to her side of the table.

Kimi entered the bedroom with one hand filled with utensils, and the other clutching a bottle of sauce. "All about all set," she said, placing a knife and fork beside each of the plates and the bottle between them, then backed slowly to the door. "I'll let you two eat," she said.

Kim took up her fork. "Thanks Ki."

Kimi gave her trademark wrinkled-nose smirk and flashed an "OK" sign before slipping through the doorway, closing the door behind her.

Mark picked up his utensils. "You know, I couldn't blame you if you don't eat all that," he said. "The Porterhouse is actually two steaks in one."

Kim looked down to her plate. "Oh?"

"Yep," said Mark, "watch." He applied his fork to the meat to steady it and cut lengthwise next to the T-shaped bone, dividing the steak into two. "The larger side is your basic New York Strip...and the smaller cut is what you get when you order a tenderloin."

Kim looked back to her own plate after the demonstration. "Well...at least I won't feel so bad if I don't eat the whole thing."

They then set about eating. While Mark dug into the meal with his usual eat-it-all-right-now military style, Kim was at the other end of the spectrum with a slower, more cautious approach, studying her first cut as she made it and looking at the meat on her fork nearly as if she were analyzing it.

Mark brought another bite from his plate. "Monique tells me you're pretty worried about the damage this rift may be doing to the perception of Cellers in our environment, and to Flesher-Celler relations in general."

Kim slowly placed her fork on her plate and looked up at Mark. "It's hard to think of it any other way," she said, "and it's probably how most other people are seeing it, too. That day I went to the Market...the people I talked to on the way...some of them were people that I've known for years...even since I first came here. But that morning, they were avoiding me like...like I was radioactive or something...like I knew about how or why all the people were being killed—" her eyes sank to the table along with her expression "...or even like I had something to do with it...because I'm a Celler..."

Mark cut into his steak. "You're still worried about what that Senator said having something to do with that...aren't you..."

"A couple of the people mentioned it," said Kim, her mind recalling the scolding the two young girls had received from their mother after speaking with her in their front yard, and the vociferous tone of her voice, seemingly loud on purpose when she warned them about when "one of _them_" was near, as if she wanted Kim to hear her.

"Remember what I said about Senator Conlin? He's mostly smoke and mirrors. More bark than bite. Look at him after that radio show...he's been cooped up inside his house, afraid to come out after all the threats he got. That should be a good enough indicator about the lack of support for his claims about Cellers."

"The Senator said on the show that there were several others in the Senate who agree with him..."

"More smoke and mirrors," said Mark, finishing another bite. "It's one thing to say something on the radio, but it's quite another to produce actual fact to back it up...and I hardly think that two Senators really counts as 'several'."

"Two?"

"That's all he has behind him on this. And it's mainly because they're in the same district he's in."

"How do you know that?"

"Because of work I've been doing with members of the Senate earlier this year." This won Mark a perplexed look from Kim. "It's something that Wade and I have been coordinating with the Cross Agents on for about the last six months," he continued. "It's called the Environment Rights Integration Council – ERIC for short. ERIC is to ensure that Cellers here have every right and protection under the law that Fleshers do...and the integration into society by Cellers since they started coming here is a strong force for making that case. Misty had set up some talks before a committee to start toward the end of June...just about the time everything started going haywire." Mark now leaned a little in Kim's direction. "There's actually a Senator in Iowa and two in California who have had long-time relationships with Cellers...and the one from Iowa has a lot of pull." He then sat back a bit, giving a wink. "I don't think he's going to let a windbag like Conlin rain on that parade." He took another bite of his steak. "Like I said, he's all mouth and no teeth."

Kim had held Mark in high regard from the night they had met in Cairo, as he played the biggest role in supporting her daughter's fight to save her life; but when he made his revelation about the lack of weight behind the Senator's words and told of further efforts in supporting Cellers, Kim felt her respect for the large man seated across from her take a huge leap. The smile on her face grew wider and wider as she slid from behind the table, walking around it and slipping her arms over Mark's shoulders, taking him into a warm embrace. "If I lived to be a hundred, I still wouldn't find a way to thank you for everything you've done...not only for me, but for Cellers everywhere."

Mark brought up his arms to return the hug. "Awww...you gotta know, Kim...that smile on your face is more than thanks enough for me." He had to let out another "Aww" as Kim placed a soft kiss on his cheek and returned to her seat on the bed. "Besides," Mark added, "if you waited until you were a hundred, you'd have to learn how to hug dust...'cause that's about all I'd be by then."

Now it was Mark wearing a huge smile as Kim fell back onto the bed, letting loose with laughter. "Hm-ah-HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Monique and Frannie looked up from their backgammon game in the kitchen at the sudden sound. Kimi, Zach and William also turned their heads from their seats in the living room, then back to each other.

Kimi's expression spread into a wide grin as she held up her hand in an "OK" motion. C_alled that one, _she thought. _It's all about Mom got her heart fixed._

_Thank yoooouu, Major Mark._

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

Tuesday, July 8th 

9:22 AM.

Kimi's eyes fluttered open. "...Fra? Do you smell that...?"

She rolled to her side. "You awak—"

_Empty bed._

"I think this is what you smell."

Kimi turned to the voice from the doorway, and a pleasing morning sight met her when she flicked on the lamp:

Kim was holding a plate stacked with thick slices of bread, each slathered with a coating of syrup and topped with a pat of butter. "Frannie's been busy," she smiled.

Kimi turned and rose from the bed, taking in the inviting image. "French toast? For real?"

"And I made sure she included the cinnamon and vanilla," grinned Kim. "Zach made a run down to the store early this morning and got some bread and eggs, and after she had Mark show her how to work the grill, Frannie just took over from there."

Kimi approached the dish and her mother. "It's...it's beautiful."

"I thought it would put a smile on everyone's face, since they've been talking about it."

Kimi accepted the plate from Kim, but promptly placed it on her desk – then turned and took her into a close hug. "Seeing a smile on your face again is sweeter than any syrup could ever be, Mom."

Kim said nothing in response, but held onto her daughter a bit tighter. _And I have you and Mark to thank for this smile, Ki,_ she thought.

They held each other for a moment before Kim backed away slightly, motioning to the plate. "You'd better bring this out to the table and eat with the rest of us before it gets cold."

Kimi looked at her mother. "'the rest of us'," she repeated. "So you have some too?"

"Sure," perked Kim. "Why, shouldn't I?"

"Well, uh..." started Kimi in an attempt to mask that the question was to gauge her mother's present mood and if it had carried over from last night or if it was merely a facade on her part. "I didn't know if Fra would want to test her cooking against the, um, Queen of Cuisine in her home court."

_Yeah, that's it._

Kim's expression slid into a mix between culinary vanity and mother's pride. "I was the first one served," she smiled.

Kimi reached over, picking up the plate. "If it's good enough for the Queen, I'm all about dig in."

"I can guarantee you'll like it," said Kim.

They walked into the dining room where the others were at the table, at various stages of enjoying their meal. Upon entering, Kimi was greeted with bright and full faces, the brightest belonging to the slender blonde at the corner nearest the sliding doors.

"Check it, Ki," said Monique. "Frannie is making everybody fat and happy."

Frannie held up her plate. "Well, happy anyway. I'm only having one slice, so I don't get fat...'cause if I get fat, I sure won't be happy."

Monique now indicated to her own plate, which held three slices of the golden breakfast. "I took what she's not eating. I don't do fat – just happy." She then grinned widely, slimming her hands down her sides. "My natural 'Nique keeps me sleek."

Frannie motioned to the empty chair next to her. "Grab a seat, dig in and eat, this breakfast treat is hot, sweet, and hard to beat," she chimed.

Kimi set her plate on the table and slid into the chair, giving her friend a sideways glare of exasperation. "Guess we can tell that your major's not in poetry..."

"There's always rap," quipped Zach, which brought chuckles from the rest of the table.

Kimi brought a bite of her toast to her mouth. "Mmm!" she immediately perked. "No minor in cooking, though. All about home run, Fra." The others agreed, voicing their approval.

"It's something I started thinking about ever since we found out about the wood stove next door," Frannie said, "but I couldn't think of a way to cook it right without a hot griddle and even heating. The grill works just perfect."

"It doesn't take long for that grill to heat up," said Mark.

"It's just what we needed this morning," Kim added as she dipped another bite into some syrup near the side of her plate.

The bright smile on her mother's face brought the same to Kimi. She turned and shared that smile with Frannie. _Could just be all about what the doctor ordered,_ she thought.

The jovial morning mood was interrupted by a sound that, under other conditions, wouldn't really have brought a second thought—

The ringing of the phone on the wall.

Instinct drew Kim from her chair to cross the room. "I'll get it," she said. She lifted the handset from its cradle, bringing it to her ear. "Hello?" Reality then drew her expression back a bit. "Hi. Yeah...sure, just a sec." She crossed back to the table, setting the phone near Mark's plate. "I should have known by now," she smirked. "It's for you."

Mark set his fork on his plate with a slight oblivious deer-in-the-headlights expression. "Really? Who is it??" This earned him a second's glare from Kim. She lowered her face into her hand as Zach erupted into snickers. Mark picked up the phone. "Yeah Wade...just enjoying a little breakfast...French toast, if you can believe that. Yep, right on the grill..."

Kimi tapped Frannie on the shoulder and pointed to the back patio. "Show me your setup, Miss Breakfast Ninja."

"Huh?" asked Frannie. "It was just the grill, and a griddle."

"Yeah...but I wanted to see how you set the griddle on the grill so you got even heating."

The tap of a foot on hers told Frannie there was motive beneath the request. "Uh...sure. Right out here," she said, rising from her chair with Kimi following, lamp in hand. They stepped through the sliding doors out to the patio. Kimi slid the door closed and joined Frannie in front of the grill as she lifted back the cover, exposing the thin metal rails of the cooking area, the griddle sitting on top. "So this is how you had the griddle?" Kimi said in a rather obvious voice.

Frannie looked down at the griddle. "Yeah...just like that."

Kimi moved a bit closer, acting as if she was inspecting something on the control panel of the grill. "Fra," she said in a lower tone, "you're all about figure it out...I didn't really want to ask about the grill..."

"Yeah...you're wondering about your Mom..."

"Ding ding," Kimi said quietly. "Has she been in this good a mood all morning?"

"She wasn't up yet when I woke up. She came out a little while later...I was talking with Zach. She asked if I wanted to try making the French toast for breakfast...she went downstairs and got some money and sent Zach to the store, We sat and talked while we were waiting for him to get back. She talked a lot about you...and, you and Zach. I think she was trying to find out how serious you guys are, or something like that. She acted pretty happy when I told her how you get along."

"Well, she'd have to be curious...but all about d'uh, she should have known when I invited him to come to school two years ago. So she hasn't been down at all?"

"Only for a few seconds...when I said I thought I could make French toast as good as she does. Then she, like, frowned and was like, 'In my house? Well, you can sure try'."

Kimi had to snicker. "Yeah, that sounds like Mom. Really Mom." She then straightened from the grill, giving her friend a pat on the back. "Yep, Fra, I have to applaud your cooking skills," she said at a more obvious level as they started back into the house.

As they re-entered the dining area, Kim had just risen from her chair, moving to get the phone from Mark and place it back onto the receiver on the wall. "Good thing you came back in," she said. "I was just about to put Zach on guard duty so Monique wouldn't eat the rest of your breakfast."

"I just had some questions for Fra about the griddle," Kimi said as she retook her seat at the table, "and I know Moni wouldn't steal my breakfast...I know where she lives."

"Might have been worth the trouble," said Monique, slipping her last bite through a bit of syrup. "This was a spankin' breakfast."

Comments of praise for the meal moved around the table, causing Frannie to swell with pride. "As good as what Mrs. H makes, huh?"

Her short spate of culinary bravado was stopped as a plastic fork was launched from across the table by Kim. "Now let's not get cocky," she smirked, bringing chuckles from the table. She then smiled. "It was very good though, to be honest." This seemed to serve as "good enough" for Frannie.

"Fantastic food," Mark said. "This and the coffee will certainly keep me fueled up for the day. Now I don't mean to eat and run, but I need to get downstairs and put some notes together. Wade's setting up another conference later this morning."

"That's what that call was?" asked Kimi.

"Yep. Wade says he's got more answers that he wants to explain to the people that were part of the calls from yesterday. He also wanted those people on the line, because..." he paused for a few seconds. "He said that he's got some of the preliminary workings of a plan that might put an end to all this."

"Did he say anything about how Drakken is blocking the effects of the Conduit?"

"He mentioned it, but he wouldn't go into detail until he's got the whole conference crew assembled in another call."

Frannie took Kimi's hand. "News about a plan to end the world disaster before it ends the whole world," she said. "That beats any breakfast I could cook up."

Kim nodded from across the table. "Ditto."

Mark reached for the coffee pot at the center of the table. "I'll want to take another cup of this with me," he said, filling his cup. He then rose and pushed in his chair, taking his cup from the table. "You know where I'll be."

"Let us know if there's anything you might need," said Kim.

"And let us know if you find anything else out," added Kimi.

Mark approached the basement door. "I'll let you know what I can, when I can," he said before starting down the stairs.

Kim stood, taking her plate and William's. "Anyone up to helping with the dishes?"

"I'm in," said Kimi, bringing her plate from the table.

"Me too," said Frannie.

Kimi reached over and took her plate. "Nope," she grinned. "You got a Get Out of Dishes Free Card, 'cause you made the diamond breakfast."

Frannie smiled. "Thanks Ki."

"Ooh," purred Monique. "That leaves you free for another whoopin' on the gammon." Her expression became a sly grin. "...you game?"

Frannie looked at her for a moment. "You know? As well as breakfast went, I'm feeling a little...cocky. You're on."

Kimi joined her mother at the sink, stacking the dishes they had brought, and going back for the rest. When she returned to the sink, she placed the plates on top of the others, and leaned to give her mother a kiss on the cheek.

Kim moved a little to the side, looking at her daughter. "And what might that be for?"'

Kimi wore a warm expression. "I'm just glad that you're feeling better...after yesterday..."

Kim now echoed her daughter's smile. "Yes...I'm feeling better. And you probably know that you and Mark are the reason why." She then moved to take Kimi into a hug. "I'm very glad that you're home and safe, Ki...so very glad."

Kimi held on just a little tighter at hearing this. "Ditto," she said quietly into her mother's ear.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

The remainder of the morning for the Hodge household progressed much the same way, with Monique, Frannie, Kim and Kimi centered around the dining room table, playing backgammon to pass the time. William and Zach took up a few hands of cards in the living room. Mark had spent this entire time in the basement, interrupted only when Kimi would come down to bring him more coffee.

While everyone attempted to keep themselves otherwise occupied with games or talk, each of them held thoughts of what Mark had said about Wade and the beginnings of a formulation of a plan that would bring an end to the catastrophes plaguing each of their lives and of the rest of the world. Those thoughts also held hope that whatever Wade had discovered would be the key to unlocking the dark grip Drakken and Shego now held over the entire planet.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

12:46 PM.

The dice cup slipped from Monique's hand to the table, her eyes wide in disbelief. "No...way," she breathed. "I was one...roll. _One roll!_ away from a win...and she just sweeps it with a double four!"

Kimi gave a conciliatory grin as her mother plucked her remaining four pieces from the board. "Moni, meet Fact of Life #621...when Mom is on her 'gammon streak, it's all about unstoppable force."

Rufus reiterated the point, nodding. "Mm-hmm...621."

"'gammon streak," Monique scoffed. "More like 'gammon storm. That's four games in a row! And they were slaughters, not just wins." She reached to the board for Kim's dice. "Where are the magnets? There's got to be magnets or something. I'm putting these on the refrigerator to see if they stick!"

"Maybe you should switch colors," said Zach.

Monique immediately dumped the dice she was holding into her cup. "Yeah. Let's switch."

"Works for me," grinned Kim as Monique began setting up the pieces.

"You'll still lose, though," Zach mumbled through a smirk. "You don't know how to work the magnets."

Kimi gasped and took a swat at Zach's arm. "All about _rat_," she hissed.

"Soo all about rat," added Kim. "Smack him for me too," she glared in his direction. "There's no cheating in this house!"

Kimi grinned. "Mommy said," and gave her boyfriend another backhand across his upper arm.

"Harder," grumped Monique.

Frannie giggled. "No, let me hit him."

Zach turned to the young blonde. "You get up, and I'll spank you so hard, you won't be able to sit down again." Frannie shrank into her chair from the threat with a worried brow. Zach rested his head on the back of his hand and turned to Kimi with a slight smile. "Hey...backgammon is a violent game under the surface."

Mark came from the basement carrying his coffee cup. "Hi guys," he said as he entered the dining room. "How goes it?"

"Not too bad," said Frannie, motioning to Monique, "if you don't count the losses."

Monique in turn leveled a glare at Zach. "—or the rats."

Mark had a slight puzzled look as he continued to the counter. "...hope there's no rats in the coffee."

Kimi watched as Mark placed his palm against the side of the glass decanter. "Do you need another pot?"

Mark picked up the decanter and poured. "No...this should still be warm enough for one more cup." He brought the cup to his lips, taking a long sip. "Yeah...still hot enough." He then neared the table, looking over Monique's shoulder to the backgammon board as Kim was putting the last of her pieces into their starting positions. "Heavy losses?"

"Just a little run of no luck," said Monique.

Mark placed a hand on Monique's shoulder, smiling. "Maybe you need a little more Tiger Balm."

Monique's expression immediately belied her pleasure from the previous application of the soothing ointment, her face drifting into a semi-dreamy grin. "It'd be worth losing a few games to get me some more of that Tiger Balm," she cooed.

Mark replied with a small chuckle. "We'll do that a little later." He then lifted his head a bit. "Kim, I'd like to see you and Ki downstairs for a little bit."

Kim set the small stack of pieces she had yet to place on the board down on the table and looked up across the table to the tall Major. "Um...sure," she said, sliding her chair back and standing. "C'mon, Ki."

Kimi rose from her chair, following her mother. She gave Zach a small thump on the head as she moved behind him. "Behave while I'm gone."

Zach turned around with a wide grin. "Who...me??"

Monique set her dice cup down in the middle of the board. "Looks like my comeback is on hold for a few." She looked over the table. "Who wants to keep me focused? Mr. H?"

William smiled. "No...I don't feel like being party to tuning up vengeance against my wife in a game I can't touch her at."

Monique giggled as her gaze shifted. "Wanna play, Magnet Boy?"

Zach brought up a hand. "Pass."

"Fra? Feel like another spankin' at 'gammon?"

Frannie responded with an incredulous look around the table. "No. What is it with people threatening me with spankings all of a sudden??"

"Gee...no opponents," Zach said in mock condolence. "Guess you'll just have to play with yourself..."

"I heard that!" shot from the basement doorway, followed by a rather forceful shutting of the door.

Monique placed her hands on the table as if to push away. "I don't need to wait for Ki," she said, turning to Frannie. "I'll hold 'im...you hit 'im," causing Frannie to turn to Zach with a nodding sneer.

Zach sat back in his chair. "Good luck with that...both of you."

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

As Kim and Kimi reached the bottom of the stairs, Mark went to the couch, motioning them over. "Sit down," he said as he brought his attache to his lap and opened it, bringing out a pair of sunglasses, which he passed to Kim. "Put these on."

Kim hesitated for a few seconds, looking the glasses over. "They're...not really my style..."

"They're standard aviator-style sunglasses," said Mark, "but the style isn't important. Put 'em on, just for a few seconds."

Kim slipped on the glasses, her eyes barely visible behind the smoked lenses as she turned to show Kimi.

"Makes you look sorta FBI or secret-agenty," she said, "but yeah, all not about show up at the beach."

"Again, style isn't the point," Mark said. "Wade got a partial list of the things that were stolen in the attack on the armory in Flagstaff...and the list includes two cases of military goggles. The lenses are polarized. They block out UV radiation."

"Most sunglasses do," said Kim – then she took in a quick gasp. "—solar radiation..."

Mark leaned forward a little, looking at Kimi. "Right now, your mother is mostly protected against the effects of the Conduit that would mentally alter a Celler."

Kimi's jaw dropped a little. "That's why they stole the goggles. That's how they're not affected."

Mark nodded. "Wade said that Drakken and Shego have set up a...a shield, near where the Conduit rift is. That's the red glow that people have been seeing in the area since after the light phenomenon died down and the rift started. It's not blocking them from the effects of the Conduit...but from any actions to stop them. He said it's a..." he looked over a few of his notes. "It's a wide-range energy field about 500 feet across. It's covering a couple of the buildings near where the rift is. It's where they've set up operations. One of the buildings is a gift shop and tourist communications center. There's a large satellite dish on the roof...and Drakken is using it to capture the magnetic signal in this environment to keep the Conduit locked open and in place."

Mark then took a long breath, the stress of the last couple of days beginning to tell in the lines on his face. "Wade said that the key to undoing the rift is shutting down the connection of the magnetic signal between environments. That means shutting down that dish."

Kimi flinched a little. "Umm...at the risk of harming the Cellers near the Conduit...since you can operate some stuff now...is there any way to...shoot up the dish or something?"

"There's a lot of hardware we could bring up from Flagstaff, now that we can get vehicles running," said Mark, "but Wade said it wouldn't do any good. Since it's inside the shield, it's impervious to weapons. Anything we fire at it would go off before it could penetrate."

Kimi's expression dropped a bit. "And nobody can get near it."

Mark's eyes now diverted slightly. "Well...not if you're a Flesher..."

Kimi's eyes drifted up from the floor quickly. "..but Cellers..."

At this, Kim's head whipped around to look at her daughter. "...which...Cellers," she breathed.

Mark hesitated a few seconds before answering that question. "...You're both looking at her right now."

Kim and Kimi were each locked on the other's eyes as Kim slowly slipped off the sunglasses. Each was studying the other's expression as what Mark had just said sank in.

"What Drakken and Shego have done not only goes against all of mankind," Mark said, "...it spits in the very face of God." This brought Kim to turn back around. "There's a passage in Genesis that one of the STRATCOM men brought up during the last call," Mark continued, curling back a few sheets of the pad on the small table in front of him. "It makes the point...God promised that 'while the Earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night...shall not cease'."

He straightened the pages of his pad and lifted his eyes to Kim and Kimi as he said the last of the quote. "Wade and the Cross Agents have put together a plan to stop Drakken and Shego...and hopefully, save the rest of the world...and both environments...and we're asking for your help to do it. We'd go back to the 111th...most things are operational there. You'd get all the help with training that you'd need to get ready...then we'd travel to the Canyon. There will be a chopper accompanying us from Willow Grove, and a squad of choppers from Flagstaff once we get to the Canyon. Once you find a way to drop that satellite dish and the shield...we'd take over from there."

"So we'd be flying out by helicopter?" asked Kimi.

"No," replied Mark. "We'll travel out there by vehicle."

Mark then shuffled through some more notes. "Wade said he has only one more thing to work out. The device that he wants to use to help correct the magnetic fields is something that...hasn't been tested much. He thinks it will do the trick when it comes to resetting the fields...but there could be a side effect..." He continued as Kim looked back to him again. "He thinks that a high-energy electromagnetic pulse shot into space would jump-start the magnetic fields...but there is a chance that the interaction with the Conduit at that point...might recall not only the evil Cellers in the region of the rift...but every Celler in the Flesher environment—"

A sudden gasp from Kim cut Mark off, her eyes in a wide stare. "You...you mean...k—"

Mark cut back in. "No, not kill. Wade made that painfully clear. Just recall. Every Celler that's in the Flesher environment would be drawn back to the Celler environment. That's something he wants to avoid. He's already said that he won't want the EMP to be used if he can't figure out a way to do it without that recall happening...he and the Cross Agents are still working on an alternative, if there is one."

Kim's stare continued, dropping to the floor near the table. "That'd be one heck of a lot of Crosses to set up and reverse, if that happened..."

Kimi slowly shifted her gaze to Mark, still taking in everything that had been said in the last few minutes. "I...it feels like Cairo...all over again," she said slowly.

"In Cairo, these two were holding your mother for ransom, and you were fighting to save her and your family's future. This time...they're holding the fate of the entire planet for ransom, with seven billion hostages." Mark's eyes now softened a bit, but his voice still conveyed his seriousness. "...you'll be working to save all of humanity. Your fight would be to take back the future of mankind."

The weight of Mark's words pulled Kimi's brow upward in a strip of worry. "Wh...when would we have to leave...?"

"It's pretty short notice, I know," replied Mark, "but the clock is running down. We have less than two weeks to put everything together, get to the Canyon, and stop Drakken. And Wade said he needs to have some time after the signal is interrupted to start to try to put things back on track before the next Conduit cycle." He paused for a few seconds, which seemed much longer to Kimi. "We should probably think about...tomorrow morning."

Kim turned back to Kimi. Her thoughts of Mark's proposition had pulled her brow in the direction opposite that of her daughter's. _A chance to end this horror and make everything right again,_ she thought as she focused on Kimi's eyes.

_A chance to end the senseless wholesale slaughter of Drakken's plan._

_And a chance to make him and Shego both pay for what they've done...to Tina and to the rest of the world._

Kim took her daughter's hand. "To put it like you would, Ki," she said with a slight squeeze and a quick shake, "...'it's all about Go Time'."

The look of determination on Kim's face and the serious, heavy tone of her voice worked to wedge any remaining shred of reservation or doubt from Kimi's mind at that moment. Her brow slowly lowered to match that of her mother's. "Let's go kick Drakken's blue ass for him."

They brought up their hands, swinging to meet with a loud slap, their thumbs interlocking as their fingers clasped tightly. _Drakken is all yours, Sweetie,_ she thought as she held her daughter's hand a bit tighter in a close bond not only between mother and daughter – but between a Karate master and student suddenly united in the ultimate cause for the fate of the world.

_The one I want wears green and black._

_The time for crying over this is done._

_Now..._

_it's time to just...be...mad._

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

Kim, Kimi and Mark came up from the basement a bit before 2 PM, to tell the others of the mixed news that a plan had been devised out of the phone conferences of the past two days – and who had been picked to fulfill the crucial central role in that plan. Mark knew the announcement would be met with a range of reaction; hope for success, yet reservation and concern over Kim and Kimi undertaking such a task.

As expected, the most vocal of the concerns came from the significant others – William and Zach. Mark did what he could to ease those concerns, passing along what Wade had said about the disorienting effects of the Conduit rift not being physically harmful to Cellers in or near it. He then explained Wade's discovery about the protection of the polarized goggles they would be wearing and how it would keep them mentally focused. Mark also brought up the fact that, even though the odds seemed nearly insurmountable against them in terms of sheer number, all of the evil Cellers at the site of the rift were still in an almost zombie-like state without the goggles, and there were very, very few Cellers who had any training in martial arts whatsoever, let alone to the level obtained by the Hodge women.

The balance of the afternoon progressed with everyone around the dining room table, once again entering into the activities of backgammon and various card games – whether these served as leisure pastimes or a sort of diversion from the underlying unease that now seemed to be a part of the very atmosphere that hung heavy over the minds of every inhabitant of the house on Mason Park Drive.

While Kim and Kimi felt some degree of remorse about the weight placed on each of their loved ones' minds, they remained resolute toward their commitment to bring an end to the global nightmare Drakken and Shego had perpetrated before it brought an end to everything else. At the same time, they tried to establish some modicum of hope in the house; Kim honored Monique's vow of a comeback in their backgammon match, while Kimi did her best to assuage Frannie's initial fear over learning that her longtime friend was soon to be entered into what sounded to her like mortal combat against the worst evil the Celler environment could offer. The games and talk had a short intermission a bit before 4 in the afternoon, when Kim motioned to pull Frannie aside for a short talk in another room while Kimi met with Monique to try to analyze the current missteps and weak points in her games.

Near 5:30, Kim asked Mark to warm up the grill for use. She then asked Zach to go to the deep freeze cabinet in the garage to retrieve the other package he picked up on his trip to the market that morning; a little over two pounds of ground beef wrapped in ice, which kept it good for the day. Mark had brought some ground beef with him from the Air Base, but he and Kim were a bit suspect as to its freshness, as the dry ice he had packed it and the rest of the meat in had melted. As foodstuffs were reaching a premium, the purchase cost nearly $100 – a small price to Kim for a smile on everyone's face. While availability had made things like hamburger buns into an elusive luxury, no one complained about enjoying the meal served between slices of sandwich bread.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

8:39 PM.  
Frannie bent back in her chair, extending her arms in a long stretch. "I'd love to see the end of this," she drew out through a long yawn, "but if we're getting up really early tomorrow, I'd like to try and get at least a little sleep." She turned to Kim. "Thanks for getting the hamburger, Mrs. H. It was really good."

"Glad you enjoyed it," Kim smiled. "I'm glad I told Zach to bring some home, if they had any. I didn't know if they would get any in or not."

"One thing's for sure," said Frannie, "you can always count on being fed well at the Hodge house." She patted her stomach. "Another thing's for sure...I know I'd be fat if I ate like that every night."

"That's why I kept telling you to get into Karate," Kimi said. "The exercise is great, and you can eat stuff like that without the guilt."

Zach smirked across the table. "You could also avoid that guilt by giving me your burger next time."

"Nah," Frannie returned, "I'd rather chance being fat than feed your face." She then turned to Kimi, who was already in a long t-shirt. "You going to turn in soon?"

"Nope," Kimi grinned, motioning to the backgammon board. "I'm here for the end of this. Major Mark needs all the help he can get."

Frannie rose from her chair, yawning again. "Okay...guess I'll get ready for bed. Back in a few," she said, walking into the hallway.

"I still don't know how you got roped into a game of backgammon," said Kim. "Even I know you don't really get into games that involve any measure of luck."

Mark shuffled his dice cup a bit. "Well, I thought...'heck, why not...everyone else is doing it'." He then looked to his opponent, a small smile slipping onto his face. "Besides, I figured after the apparent beating that you gave Monique, she might be soft enough that even I could beat her."

A squeak of surprise escaped from Monique as she looked up from the board at Mark's comment. "Owww," she huffed through a rather slack jaw. "I'll make sure to whoop you extra hard for that." She punctuated her point with the dice cup against the table. "Your move."

Kimi gave a nod of encouragement to Mark as he spilled his dice out onto the board.

Six-two.

"Remember," said Kimi, "you want to try to control and protect by having points with two or more pieces together."

Mark picked up two of his pieces, placing them at a point near the center bar, between points that already held three and two of his other pieces.

"Cool. You have a neat little block set up. That'll make it hard for her to get those two pieces out of her back court."

Monique scowled for a few seconds at the newly-formed blockade. "I can get past that," she said, shaking her cup and tipping it to let her dice roll out. She then scowled at her dice. "Just not with that roll."

"Now that you have her tied up in back," Kimi advised as Mark readied for another roll, "work on bringing some more of your pieces around,"

"Now there's something I could help with," piped Zach. "Tying Monique up in back. Right out by the fence."

Monique shot a growl across the table at the young man. "If I wasn't tied up in this game, I'd climb over this table and..." she was cut off by Kimi giggling as she reached to her right and placed her hands around Zach's neck, shaking his shoulders.

Frannie came back into the dining room, having changed into a long blue t-shirt. She was carrying a pillow. "Here," she said, dropping it into Zach's lap. "This is yours."

Zach looked up from the pillow at the young blonde. "...Yeah? And?"

"It was on my bed."

Zach's expression turned to one of confusion and a slight annoyance. "What?"

"I said this was on my bed," Frannie repeated.

Zach looked to Kimi for a second, who had the same perplexed look, then back to Frannie, and let a chuckle slip through his lips. "Man, you really must be tired. This was on the couch."

"That's what I said," Frannie nodded.

"Fra, enough of the pillow talk," Kimi interjected. "You know Z sleeps on the couch. You're all about bunk in my bedroom with me."

She raised an eyebrow as Frannie's response was to shake her head slowly, her mouth slipping into a smile.

"...it's alright, Ki."

Kimi's jaw dropped a bit as her mother spoke the soft confirmation through her own slight smile.

Zach echoed Kimi's expression of slow surprise as he looked back to Kim, and then to Frannie. "Umm," he stuttered, "thanks...for the pillow."

Kimi's face now slid into a small smile as she turned back to Kim and mouthed the word. "Thanks."

She then turned back to the game. "You move yet, Moni? Major Mark is all about block."

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

10:04 PM.  
Six people progressed into the hallway, each offering their "goodnight" to Frannie as she settled into the living room couch. Mark stopped at the door to the basement. "If you don't have an alarm to set," he said, "I'll try to get everyone up a little after 4. We'll fix some breakfast, and we should get going no later than about 6."

"We have an old wind-up alarm clock that still works," said Kim. "We had been using it for work when the blackouts started happening."

Mark nodded. "See everyone about 4, then." he turned to open the door. "Goodnight. Sleep well."

"'Night, Mark," Monique said. "Oh, Kim? Can you get me up, too? I wanna make sure to...you know...say good-bye...and stuff."

"Sure can," grinned Kim. "'Night."

Monique turned to open the door to William's office and the couch. "'Night you guys," she said back to Kimi and Zach as they opened the door opposite.

Kimi stopped for a moment, motioning Zach to enter the bedroom. She turned to Kim, giving her a hug. "'Night Mom," she said onto her shoulder, "and thanks again."

"G'night, Ki," Kim returned. "See you in the morning. Sleep good." As they parted, she repeated, "_Sleep_ good."

"I will," said Kimi as she started for the bedroom door. Kim and William turned and continued down the hall toward their bedroom.

"Oh, and Ki?" Kim said at the doorway. "Since the fan isn't running, you want to leave your door open just a little bit for ventilation?

Kimi leaned through the doorway. "But Mo-o-omm," she said in a mocking innocent tone, "Aren't you worried about being kept up all night by my moans of passion??" A quick snicker from the living room punctuated this.

"No," came the answer, "no more worried than you are about one of you having to sleep in the garage." The statement also had an added comment from the living room – "Oooo."

"'Night Mom," came from Kimi's room.

"'Night Ki," came from the end of the hall.

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

The Hodge house fell into the late-night quiet of people preparing for sleep after what they could count as a day full of news to digest and thoughts and feelings to deal with. The next two weeks would present each of them with their own form of emotional challenge – hope for and, at the same time, apprehension of what lie ahead for the Hodge women – and what lie ahead for the world, depending on the outcome of their endeavors.

In addition to the others drifting off to a night's restless slumber, two couples lay quietly in their respective bedrooms; both born of inter-environmental attraction – one, a lifelong love and commitment – the other a budding and building bond woven of the same threads.

10:21 PM.  
Kim and William lay together facing each other under the covers as they settled in, their hands gently caressing each others' face in the darkened room, each letting their touch register the sensations felt countless times throughout their marriage – but this time with the added background thoughts that come with imminent separation.

"...Are you sure you're okay with the decision to let Ki and Zach sleep together?" William asked in a soft whisper.

There were a few seconds before Kim responded. "Yeah," she said softly, "I am. Ki is pretty mature when it comes to things like this...and you know how smart she is. I think she and Zach are...putting together something...special. I'm pretty sure she wouldn't do anything...irresponsible. She was raised to think better than that." A few more seconds passed. "I think there's been enough put on our plates without having to think about Ki holding anything against me. Besides...we've always said that we weren't going to be smothering parents, and that our daughter would be free to choose the life she wants to live."

"She's got quite the head on her shoulders," said William. "And even though we let her set her own course, I think she got a lot of who she grew up to be...from us...even though we didn't try to mold her. There's a lot of you in her...more than of me...much more."

Kim smiled and reached to brush the locks of hair from her husband's forehead, drinking in the softness of his eyes in the low light of the lamp on the nightstand. "There's more of you in her than you give credit for...or did you forget who taught me just about everything I've learned about the Flesher environment...? You're the main reason I am who I became here...so anything that may have been passed on to Ki...came from both of us."

"Okay," William conceded, "there's some of each of us in Ki...and maybe a bit of Mark, given her choice of college major."

"Ki has always said that she's looked up to Mark since the night they met in Cairo. He's been a big boost in her Karate, and in her confidence in general...although I'm kind of glad her college career was influenced more by the special investigator in Mark rather than the military angle...I think it would be easier for me to say 'Officer Ki' than 'Sergeant Ki'."

"You think 'Officer Ki' will be alright with this? Even with her talents...it's a lot to ask of someone her age..."

"She seems pretty motivated...remember, she's been through something similar to this...and, if it should come down to a fight, I don't think there's anyone whose fighting style I could trust more. After all, I practically gave her that style."

William drew his wife into a soft hug. "Well...just to err on the side of caution, I'm going to hope it doesn't come down to that...for all of our sakes. You'll mainly be working to disrupt the magnetic signal so Wade can do his thing."

Kim settled into William's touch, nuzzling against his ear. "That's the main plan," she cooed, "but it'll be nice to have to have that kind of backup on hand, if needed."

They remained locked in their embrace, savoring the quiet moment, listening to each other's heartbeat. "Just...just promise me one thing," said William.

"Anything."

"Promise me that you'll all come home to be with the ones who love you most...no matter how this turns out."

"That's the other main plan," she whispered, nestling a little tighter into her husband's caress, "exactly right here...exactly like this."

//xx//xx//xx//xx//

In another bedroom, another close embrace, another quiet conversation preceded the slumber. Kimi and Zach lay huddled in the bed, spooned under a thick cover, warm from the sensation of bodies close and the voice of a lover, low, slow and just as close.

Zach lightly floated his hand over Kimi's arm, moving slowly to caress her waist, feeling her react with a slight movement to nuzzle closer. "...what are you thinking right now...?"

Kimi let out a small breath of a giggle. "Silly. That's supposed to be the girl's line."

Now Zach gave a soft chuckle. "Then I guess your line is 'nuthin'.'."

They laughed softly together, cuddling a little closer, then lay silently for a moment. "I'm not really thinking about 'nuthin',' though," Kimi said.

"I know. Ki Hodge's mind is like her sticks...lightning quick and never stop."

They lay again in silence for a short time, savoring.

"...thinking about...what Major Mark said tonight about the plan to stop Drakken and Shego." Kimi started, "about what Wade said could happen if we don't stop them...about what could happen once we get there..." She traced her fingers over the back of Zach's hand. "Thinking about everything I'll be fighting to save...the world...Cellers...everybody at school...everybody here in Eastgate...Moni...Frannie—" she finished with letting her palm drift warmly against the back of his hand "—you..."

"That's a lot to think about," said Zach. "That's almost everything there is."

"Yeah...it is," she sighed slightly. "Its...it's like Mom and I have been asked to be the world's saviors...like Those Who Set the Sun, or something..."

"Wish there was some way I could go and help."

"I know," said Kimi, "but Major Mark said Wade told him that Fleshers can't go anywhere near that rift thingy...just Cellers. He said he's staying back at least 500 feet from it. You'll be helping by staying here and protecting my dad and Fra and Moni."

Zach shifted slightly. "Think you might have room to think about...one more thing...?"

"...one more...?"

"...us."

Kimi nuzzled back against Zach's shoulder. "Well, of course there's 'us', dum-dum," she purred.

Zach moved a bit closer to Kimi's ear. "No," he whispered, turning his hand to take hers into it, "I mean...'us'."

Kimi felt a warm tingly shiver flow through her as she felt a small metal band sliding onto the third finger of her left hand. Her eyes melted into glassy, teary warmth as she moved to lie on her back, facing Zach.

"It's my pinky ring," Zach said, lifting her hand to show them both the small band, loose on her finger. "You'll have to imagine a little bit...all the jewel stores seem to be closed lately—"

"Oh...Zach," Kimi breathed through a sob.

Zach pressed his lips softly to hers. "It's a symbol. It symbolizes me offering my heart to you...forever...the ring itself is way too big for you."

Kimi wore the warmest smile through her tears as she slipped her arms around him. "The ring is too big...but the symbol fits...like nothing else ever could...and nothing in the world could ever be bigger."

They kissed again softly. "So...will you...?"

Kimi choked back a knot. "...I will," she whispered. "Wait—maybe I should say, I d—"

Zach cut her off with another soft kiss. "Shh-hh. That's supposed to be the line you save for the pastor."

The two then flowed into each other's embrace in a passionate flurry of kisses. "I love you, Zach...I love you so much...I love you..."

They settled further into the bed, locked in each other's arms.

"Should think about some sleep," said Zach, moving to lie at his new fiance's side. "You have a little road trip in the morning."

Kimi nuzzled a little closer, pulling up the covers. "I'll be all about sleep like an angel, now."

Zach breathed out a small laugh. "...like you have a choice."

Kimi slid her hand over Zach's chest, curling to clutch the ring on her finger as she settled her head against his chest. "You're not getting this back, you know."

"What...the ring, or my heart?"

"Yes."

"Well...I'd only get a piece back," said Zach. "Without you, my heart wouldn't be complete..."

Kimi slapped her hand lightly on his chest. "Enough lines. I'm already sold on the concept."

Zach chuckled softly again. "G'night Ki."

"G'night Z."

They lay together as the warmth began to slip them into the envelope of sleep.

"...that sounds so cool," Kimi whispered.

"What does?"

"...Ki Corello."

to be continued...


	10. Articulus Silentium

**10. ****Articulus Silentium**

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-- silent chapter in memorium for _**CPNEB, **_mentor, inspirator and fellow fanfic writer who passed away on May 10th, 2010.

...to be continued.


	11. Oasis to the East

**11. Oasis to the East (Friends in the Wasteland)**

Wednesday, July 9th, 2025  
3:52AM.  
Mark had just slid open the door from the patio when he saw a small light begin to glow at the end of the doorway to the hall from the dining room. Kimi emerged from the hall. "Morning," she said softly.

"Oh...morning Ki," replied Mark, stepping into the dining room and sliding the door shut. "I was just putting on some water for coffee. I wasn't going to wake anyone for another 15 minutes or so. I didn't think I was making much noise."

"No...I just...got up. I'm usually the first up at the dorm, too. I think I have some internal alarm clock or something that wakes me up around the time I'm supposed to get up."

"If you could find a way to bottle that and market it, you'd make a fortune," Mark said as he set the coffee decanter on the counter and placed a cone-shaped filter into the top. He turned back to the table, where Kimi had sat into a chair. "How do you feel this morning? Get enough sleep?"

"Some...but I could use some more. It's kind of hard to sleep when you have to think about everything you've been asked to save..." Kimi rose from the chair, crossing to the counter and opening a drawer, fishing out a small ball of red yarn. "I found out last night just how much more there is to save," she said, reaching into the pocket of her long t-shirt as she returned to the table. She sat and brought out the small ring Zach had given her the night before, studying the single amethyst setting before placing it on the table and undoing a small length of the yarn.

Mark had poured three scoops of coffee into the filter and walked to the table after closing the container, sitting into the chair across the corner. "That's a neat ring," he said, watching Kimi begin to wind the yarn around the bottom of the band.

Kimi tugged on the first few winds of the yarn, making them tight. "It was Zach's pinky ring..."

"Looks like an amethyst...his birthday in February?"

"...last night he made it my engagement ring."

Mark looked up from the ring, his eyes widening with astonishment, then his expression becoming a warm smile. "Ki, that's...that's wonderful! Congratulations." He rose from his chair, motioning Kimi to her feet and taking her into a hug "I can tell Zach is a good man."

Kimi wound a bit more of the yarn around the ring. "I kind of had a feeling it was going to happen," she said, "just...not quite so soon. I don't know if it's because of everything else that's happening...or from what happened last night, with finding out that I'm like, going off to war to save the world...but I'm glad it happened." She studied the ring, its lower half now wrapped in red yarn. She slipped it onto her finger, the fit much more snug now. "The thing now is breaking it to the folks. It's all about figure how to tell Mom without her having a bus."

"Your mother may be more aware than you think," said Mark. "You think she doesn't know there's something special between you two? After all, she _did_ let you sleep in the same room last night."

Kimi returned to her chair. "Maybe," she said, "but she's still a Mom, and most Moms don't miss a chance to be all about Worried Mom Mode." She gave a small sigh. "So yeah...she'll still have a bus."

Mark chuckled softly, shaking his head. "I remember the term as 'having a cow'. Now it's a bus?"

"Times change," Kimi smirked slightly. "Moms change and evolve, too."

"Whose mom is having a bus?"

Kimi turned from Mark to the doorway to the living room. "Morning Fra," she said, holding up her freshly-adorned left hand. "Mine will, when she sees this."

At sight of the ring, Frannie rushed to the table, taking Kimi's hand. "He didn't—" she gasped.

"Yes he did."

Frannie's eyes launched wide with glee. "He did! EEE-eeomm-mm—"

Kimi had jumped from her chair, covering her hand over her friend's shriek. "Frost it, will ya? The last thing we need is my mom waking up to the Giddy Fangirl Alarm."

Frannie gave a quick nod and Kimi removed her hand. Frannie took it again, studying the new bauble. "That is the deepest, bluest bang, Ki." She swept her hand in front of them, as if reading a banner. "Mr. and Mrs. Zach Corello."

"It is," said Kimi, "but I only wish the question pop had come after graduation ceremonies instead of before battle with Evil Celler Nation."

Mark rose to his feet. "The water should be just about ready for the coffee," he said, reaching for the sliding door.

"Can I use the kettle after you're done with it?" Frannie asked. "I want to make everybody oatmeal for breakfast."

Mark slid the door open. "I'll get it poured, and it's all yours."

Frannie turned back to Kimi with a slight devilish grin. "Soooo...Mrs. Corello," she purred, "thought about colors for the wedding? Thought about your Maid of Honor?"

"Thought about rushing much?" Kimi smirked in response. "Hello...Priorities on Line 2?" She counted on her fingers as she settled back into her chair, "it's all about fight to try to save the world...get back to college...grads..._then_ wedding plannage." Her expression then shifted to a smile. "Besides...you already know it's all about the diamond Fra is the Maid-unit."

Frannie immediately perked into a wide grin of satisfaction. "Cool...got all the important stuff down already."

Kimi slid the ring from her finger, slipping it into the pocket of her nightshirt. "Better not show this off around Mom until I can talk to her." She then began to tap her index finger against her cheek. "Colors...I was thinking...peaches 'n cream...and black tuxes for the groom and best man...with accents of deep burgundy..."

"The trains have to be cream," Frannie said, "and the guys will have a silver silk flower on their lapels, to match the bride's—"

She stopped as the Kimmunicator on the table piped its trademark "peep-peep-be-deep". She turned to Mark, who was coming through the back door, steaming kettle in hand. "The Kimmunicator just went off."

Mark continued to the counter. "Go ahead and answer it. I'll be there in a sec, I just want to do this while the water's still boiling."

Frannie turned back to Kimi. "Can I?"

"Sure," beamed Kimi. "Just push the center button."

Frannie picked up the device, following directions. The screen blipped to life with the image of its portly moderator. Frannie stared into the screen for a second before uttering a slow "Hello?"

Wade spread into a wide smile :::Morning::: he beamed.

"Mark...can't come to the, err, phone right now," Frannie stumbled. "This is Kimi's friend, Frannie."

Kimi rolled her eyes. "He can see who it is, Giddy."

:::Sure can::: said Wade. :::You're Kimi's college roommate.:::

Frannie nodded with her own smile. "Yep. I'm the cute one."

:::Yes you are,::: smirked Wade. :::What's Mark doing?:::

"Making coffee."

:::Ah. Tell him I wanted to talk to him about the KISS suits.:::

Frannie turned quickly from the table. "Mark," she called, a slight snicker creeping into her voice, "Wade said to talk to you about a kiss, and a suit."

Mark looked back from the mostly-filled decanter. "He what? Not until after my first cup."

Frannie turned back to the Kimmunicator, melting into giggles. "He said no-ot until a-hafter his first cup-of coff-e-he-he-hee."

Mark came over to the table carrying the now-full decanter of coffee and chuckling. "Go boil your water, Miss Giggle Bucket." He took the chair as Frannie rose to go to the counter for the kettle, still chortling. Mark picked up the Kimmunicator as he sat. "What's this I hear about a kiss, Wade?"

:::No no,::: corrected Wade, :::I was talking about the KISS fight training suits.:::

"Gotcha. What about them?"

:::They're the answer to the EMP problem. Seems that the Keatonite in the fabric has some insulating properties against UV radiation. The suits can provide a shield for Cellers against a Conduit flux when the electromagnetic device is detonated.:::

"Well...that could work...but you know those suits are individually form-fitted. They're not a one-size fits all kind of thing."

:::The fit isn't important for this. Its the material. They just have to cover.:::

"What about distribution? I mean...there are thousands and thousands of Cellers all over the Flesher environment..."

:::Yeah...since we found out about the insulating properties of the suits, Misty and the other Cross Agents have been almost unbelievably busy.::: He then reached to his right, just off screen, pulling a stack of papers about two inches thick next to his keyboard. :::This is a database of every Existential Iteration. That's any Cross that hasn't been ended by the particular Celler or the Flesher recipient. This includes SSTs, which would also be affected by a Conduit flux from the EMP, even if their crystals are no longer intact...:::

Frannie turned from the door to Kimi with a slight confused expression. "...SST?" she repeated.

"Self-Sustaining Termination," Kimi said. "It's when the crystal used in a Cross is broken. It means the Celler can stay in this enviro forever...like Dad did with Mom's crystal."

:::Right. Back in 2019 at the time of Kimi's Cross, there were about 80,000 Existential Iterations. After that, Crosses really took off. At last count, including SSTs, there are currently—::: he traced a finger to a point on the top page of the stack :::—a little over 152,000.:::

Mark let out a slow whistle at the figure. Frannie uttered a gasp, as if taking the wind of the whistle in. "H-how many...?"

"Wade, I don't mean to burst a bubble of hope," said Mark. "It's great that the suits could provide protection from the EMP, and there are millions of them on bases all over the globe...but with communications and transportation as crippled as they are..."

:::Already on that part of it,::: Wade said. :::Like I said, the Cross Agents have been busy. So have I. We've been contacting bases in Europe on the overnight via short-wave with instructions on getting vehicles running, and after telling them how to adjust some of their communications equipment, we've been able to get out some limited data via satellite on the last known location of Cellers in the areas around each of the bases. They're passing on info as soon as they can. The network is spreading. I've already talked with men at STRATCOM and your base...they're getting out the word, too.::: He then brought up his hands to clasp them in front of his chin, and his eyes fell a bit toward his desk. :::There's...we know that realistically, there's no way to get suits to every single Celler, but...right now, it's about the best we can do...:::

Mark looked into the screen, impressed with the resources of his Celler counterpart. "It's a good plan, Wade. Of course, you'll get all the help we can provide. We'll be leaving here in a couple of hours. When we hit the base, I'll help with getting the word out about the suits."

Wade lifted his eyes back to the screen with a thankful smile. :::The Celler community can always count on you, Mark. Call me on the Kimmunicator when you get to the base. I'll let you know of anything else we know when we know it.:::

Mark nodded, and the screen flicked off. He set the device on the table. "That's got to be a big load off his mind, I'm sure," he said. "He had a lot of concerns about the EMP device causing a lot of unintentional Cross reversals."

"He sounded like he was still worried about not getting the suits out to every Celler, though," Kimi said.

"Yeah," said Mark, looking down a bit to the table. "That's a lot of suits to get out, even if everything was working...but we've got two weeks. We'll work to make the number of reversals as small as we can." He then looked at his watch. "About time to start getting everybody up."

Frannie turned for the door. "I'll put on the water."

Mark nodded and rose from his chair. "Ki, I'll get your folks up. You wake Monique and Zach."

Kimi jumped from her chair. "Hey, while you're in there, you wanna tell Mom and Dad about—"

"Ah-ha, no," Mark protested through a smirk. "I'll leave that little news gem to you...Mrs. Corello."

Kimi drooped her shoulders slightly as she followed Mark into the hallway with a mock sigh. "I had to try."

/xx/xx/xx/xx/

4:43 AM.  
Frannie poured a bit of oatmeal from a container into another of the collection of bowls sitting on the counter. "So everyone wants cinnamon?"

"Not for me," said Zach. "Cinnamon in oatmeal kind of burns my throat if it's not made with milk."

Monique instantly turned to Frannie. "He said extra cinnamon. Lots and lots of extra cinnamon."

"'K," Frannie snickered. "One box of cinnamon for Zach."

Monique turned back to the table with a rather evil sneer. "Maybe a burning throat would teach you to treat Frannie with a little more respect," she said to Zach. "She's done a lot of stuff to help around here since we got back."

"She's been very helpful," said Kim. "She's going to make somebody a lucky catch someday."

"Yeah," snorted Zach, "if she can keep from being so picky. I tried to set her up with one of the guys from the dorm, and she wouldn't have a thing to do with him."

"Yeah right," Frannie huffed. "Maybe if you introduce me to an actual nice guy instead of Benny the Hound..."

Monique made a face as if she had tasted something sour. "Ack, you mean Benny the _Sex_ Hound?"

Zach did his best to feign innocence through his smirk. "What? You said 'nice guy'. Benny's a nice guy. All the guys at the dorm think he's cool."

"Yeah, all the other rats in the Cage think he's just super," droned Monique.

Kimi turned to Kim. "Benny is a guy in Zach's dorm," she said. "Some people think his area of study is Horizontal Body Heat 101 instead of any real classwork."

"This is a guy who would hang out at the campus laundromat in the evenings," explained Monique. "He would put on this fake funk, like his world was crashing in...and when some cute girl would start using one of the machines near him, he would start loading some laundry...and drop a note out of one of the pockets. It was this big fake 'Dear John' letter from a fictitious girl from the West Coast who was dumping him. He made it extra sappy, like something from a cheesy soap opera. When she picked it up and gave it to him, 'here, you dropped this', he'd go into his act, all crying and stuff. The girl would read the note and start feeling bad for him, and then he'd start working it to try to get sex from her, just 'for pity'."

"Hey, it worked four times before someone turned him in and got him banned from the laundromat," Zach said. He leaned back in his chair, tipping it back a bit on its back legs and locked his hands behind his head. "Benny is brilliant," he grinned.

He suddenly threw his hands forward and clutched the table to catch himself as Kimi grabbed the top of the chair, giving it a jerk backward and teetering it almost past the point of balance, causing Zach's head to impact the wall behind him. "Let's go downstairs and spar a bit, _baby,_" she smirked, "and I'll show you 'brilliant'. Like _stars_ brilliant."

Zach reached to rub the back of his head after regaining his balance. "I think I'm already seeing those stars..."

Kimi smacked Zach's arm. "No more using my friends to fill other people's scorecards."

Frannie came over from the counter with a large grin, carrying two steaming bowls and humming lightly. "Oatmeal's ready," she smiled, setting the bowls in front of Kim and Monique. "Might want to stir it for a minute before you dig in, to let it cook through a little more."

Monique took in a long breath of the warming aroma and picked one of the spoons from a cup at the center of the table. "I don't know if I can wait that long. This smells great."

Kim reached for the sugar bowl and one of the spoons, sprinkling about half a spoonful into her bowl and beginning to stir. "It sure does."

Frannie brought over another pair of bowls, which she placed before William and Mark. "I tried something different, since we didn't have milk to make it with. There's a drop of vanilla flavoring in each bowl."

"That'll make it tasty," said Mark. Rufus echoed this with a "num-num-num" while rubbing his tummy.

"That's what I thought," Frannie said, retrieving two more bowls and setting them on the table, one for Kimi and one in front of her chair.

Rufus approached Kimi's bowl as she stirred, sniffing at the warm aroma, a smile spreading over his face.

Zach looked over the others making final preparations to their morning dishes, then to the empty table in front of him. "Umm...you skip one?" he asked.

"Not at all," said Frannie from the counter. "Just saving the best for last...and don't worry...there isn't any cinnamon or anything else in it." She then came over from the counter and set the kettle, the small container of vanilla flavoring and a bowl with some dry oatmeal on the table in front of Zach.

He took a look over the items, then turned to look at Frannie as she rounded the table to her chair. "Hah?"

"It's the kit," Frannie grinned proudly as she sat in her chair. "Let 'Brilliant Benny' fix you up with breakfast, Dorm Boy."

Monique had to quickly bring her napkin to her mouth from the sudden "mfpth" through her snicker. She brought up her other hand to exchange a fist bump with Frannie as she sat.

Kimi reached for the kettle, pouring slowly into the bowl. "I think with everything else going on right now and the smack on the head, 'Dorm Boy' is all about learn the lesson." She took a spoon from the cup and stirred his oatmeal a bit. "We've got more important stuff to worry about this morning than Benny." She then turned back to Zach, a slight smirk crawling over her conciliatory expression as she held up the spoon. "Say you're sorry...Oatmeal Dorm Boy."

Zach looked up from his bowl, slowly accepting the spoon from Kimi. He stole a glance across the table to Frannie – then another. "Yeah," he said softly as he began to stir.

Frannie looked at him for a few seconds before giving a quick nod. "Apology accepted," she smiled. "Now, let's eat." She then motioned for the sugar bowl. "If you really want to fix me up with somebody, you could talk to someone on the football team..."

/xx/xx/xx/xx/

5:26 AM.  
_ Light  
Light bringing hope  
Light through the darkness to fight  
the darkness ~ too dark?  
Too dark to defeat?  
Light will prevail  
Light will persevere  
Light must endure  
Light through the darkness to fight the darkness  
Light is right  
Light is might  
Through the darkness to fight for the light  
Life is a fight to hold the light  
Light_—

A soft knock at the bedroom door lifted Kimi's eyes and her pen from the paper. "Hey," she offered softly as the door opened.

"Hey," said Frannie as she slipped through the door. "Just wanted to see if you needed any help packing anything..." she looked over to the zipped backpack leaning against the end of the bed with one naked mole rat perched on top. "Dumb question, huh."

Kimi now looked from her desk to the backpack. "Nah. It was more taking out than putting in. Except for the books and a couple other little things, that's basically everything I brought from school...couple of extra sweatpants and t-shirts...and another pair of workout shoes. That and my equip bag in the living room, and I'm all about go. I'm just frosting it with a little writing 'til then. I'm taking the word processor, too...if there's some sort of electricity at the base, I might be able to recharge the battery."

Frannie made a motion to the backpack. "Are you taking your...you know..."

Kimi gave a short chuckle. "Yes, Fra, the gun is in there, too. I might be able to sneak a lesson or two out of Major Mark while we're on the base...and I might have to take it when we go to the Canyon rift."

Frannie slowly shook her head with the slight indication of a smile. "A Black Belt in Karate going off to fight evil Cellers, and she's still thinking about guns..."

"This is bigger than that," said Kimi. "These Cellers want to hurt you, and me, and everybody. This isn't your basic good versus evil...it's like...Cellergeddon or something." She closed her notebook and moved to sit at the foot of the bed, motioning Rufus to jump from it to the bed before unzipping the top of the backpack and slipping the notepad and pen into it. "I still don't know everything they stole from that base a couple weeks ago. They might be armed, too...in fact, I need to see if I can talk Mom into carrying one, even though she hates them." She gave the backpack a quick zip to close it. "She might not have gotten beat up in that fight at the Market if she had one with her then."

Frannie reached behind her to push the door closed, then sat on the bed next to Kimi. "Might want to hold off on giving her a gun until after you tell her about you and Zach..."

Kimi shot her friend a sideways glance of exasperation. "See, there's your thing, Fra. You think guns make people crazy to use them...and that's not true. Look at my dad. You've seen the cannon he got after Mom got beat up. He hasn't grown fangs or claws or anything. He's still Dad. He's just better protected now against the slugs out there who _do_ have the fangs and claws. Look at me. I've been handling guns since I was 15. Am I all about crazy?"

Frannie stole a series of quick glances to Kimi before stifling a smirk. "...sometimes..."

Kimi slowly brought her arm across Frannie's shoulders, moving a little closer. "...only because I have to be friends with _you_—" She suddenly swung her other hand to Frannie's shoulder "—Rowr!" she snarled, pushing the blonde back onto the bed, sending her into quick laughter. Kimi then straightened and stood from the bed. "I'll have the next two weeks to break the Z-news to Mom" she said. "Plenty of time."

Frannie stood and took Kimi's left hand, singling out her ring finger. "You'd better make sure there's plenty of time to come back and tell me how she thinks this looks with a ring on it." She then looked deeply into Kimi's eyes. "Do it just like you did last time, Ki," she said softly. "Shred the Wind...Split the Sky...and everybody comes home safe." She quickly took her longtime friend into a tight embrace.

Kimi returned the hug, patting Frannie's back. "It's all about count on that, Fra," she said – then pulled back, her face sneaking into a wide grin. "Someone has to come back and protect you from...my husband."

The two women were still laughing as Kimi grabbed her jacket and backpack and turned to reach for the doorknob.

5:44 AM.  
They entered the living room where everyone else had assembled. Mark had just come from the basement and was setting his suitcase and attache by the door, next to a soft-sided case and a longer bag. He had changed into his "Air Force Blues" – a light blue long-sleeve shirt covered by a deep blue fabric windbreaker and dark blue pants. "There she is," he said as Kimi and Frannie entered the room. "Looks like you're all set."

Kimi set down her backpack at the end of the coffee table and extended her hand for Rufus to run down from her shoulder and onto the arm of the couch. "Yeah...got everything," she said, slipping on her jacket and checking a couple of the pockets.

Mark then looked over the people assembled in the room, thinking about how they had each touched his life – and he theirs. He locked the look on each of their faces into his memory – each lending a silent reminder and further encouragement to the commitment of the plan that lay before. He then brought up his watch. "We should get going."

Monique was the first to her feet from the couch, walking over to Mark. "I know they can take care of business," she said, "but you watch over my girls. Bring 'em home safe after they save the world." She then wrapped her arms around the large Major.

Mark warmly embraced the hug. "It's my first priority," he said. "Everybody home safe and everything back to normal."

Monique slid back a bit. "I know you'll have their back...and they'll have yours. You're the real team. I don't know what Cellers would have done without your help through the years."

"There are many Fleshers who think the same of Cellers and their contribution to this environment," said Mark. "I've always felt honored to play a part in it." He turned for a second to the bags – then back as Monique passed Frannie to stand near Kimi. "Oh...there will be a vehicle by here in the next few days. They'll be bringing your Keatonite suit. They'll show you how to put it on, and tell you what day to have it on. That's the day we reach the Canyon."

"Mark?" asked Frannie. "I was wondering about something..."

"Sure," replied Mark. "Shoot."

"Well...this...this EMP thing? When it goes off, you said it might make the Conduit do funny things that could affect the Cellers here...and that's why you're passing out the suits. What about the Cellers in the Celler environment? Won't it affect them, too? How would you get suits to any of them?"

"It won't affect any Cellers in the Celler environment, Frannie," said Kim. "It's not an issue because of its location."

A wry smile crossed William's face. "You never did tell me where that is...and you said you would."

Kim returned the grin. "That's right, I did, didn't I?" Her expression now became warmer, more knowing. "The EMP won't affect the Celler environment...because it's located several miles below the surface of the South Pole." This widened William's eyes a bit. "Wade explained this to me once," Kim continued, "that's why the core temperature of Cellers is higher than Fleshers. It's a lot warmer down there."

William turned a bit – and he and his wife slipped into a warm close embrace. "That makes sense," he said. "Every time I hold you, I'm a lot warmer."

Frannie clasped her hands together at the scene. "Awww," she said, giving Zach a small nudge and whispering, "Hint."

Zach looked at the couple hugging on the couch, then back to Frannie. "No, you're not getting one of those."

Monique fell into a bit of a snicker as Frannie smacked Zach on the chest and pointed to Kimi.

Zach turned to Kimi. "Yeah...she gets one." He took her into his arms, holding her close. "Try not to take everybody out," he said jokingly. "Let your mom have a few."

Kimi giggled a little. "I'll try to remember to share." She then pulled back a little, staring into the deep brown eyes of her betrothed and tapping him on the chest. "You be good until we get home," she grinned. "I'll get a full report when I get back."

Zach now chuckled a bit. "I'll...try to remember to control myself." He then leaned down to linger a kiss onto Kimi's lips and slip her into a warm embrace. "Love you," he whispered into her ear.

"Love you," she returned, feeling the warm tingle flow through her from the comforting flow of his voice so close, curling her fingers over the musculature of his broad shoulders. She slid back a little to catch and hold his gaze for a few seconds, knowing that the rich sepia in those eyes now held a bit more of a promise for the future – and more of a reason to fight for it.

Kim and William had risen from the couch. Kim turned to face away from her husband and he slid a silver windbreaker along her arms and onto her shoulders. William then moved past the coffee table as Monique and Frannie walked to join Kim. William gave his daughter a warm hug. "You two be careful," he said. "Watch over each other."

"We will," said Kimi. "We'll have lots of help from Major Mark and Wade and everybody else at the base."

William smiled with pride. "I know you will. Love you, Honey,"

"Love you, Dad. See you when we get back." With this, she motioned to Rufus, who jumped from the arm of the couch into her hand. She placed the rodent on her shoulder, picked up her backpack and the two moved toward the door.

Monique turned to hug Kim. "Make us all safe," she said, "and take back the world."

"Yeah," Kim said, returning the hug. "We'll make everything like it's supposed to be."

"It's all about we have the will and the skill," said Kimi as Monique turned to hug her. "Between me and Mom, Drakken and Shego have an extra-big order of whoop-ass coming."

"I know that's right," Monique grinned as they raised their hands in a high-five. "Make it hurt, girl."

Kimi reached to her shoulder for Rufus and began to pass him to Monique. The mole rat leapt from her hand back to her shoulder, clutching onto the fabric of her jacket, his eyes tightly shut. "No! Wanna go," he pleaded.

Kimi reached again for the rodent with both hands, setting him on one and petting his head with the other. "Ruf...we talked about this. It'd be super diamond if you were with us, but we have a ton of work to do...and I don't want you to feel neglected...and things could get pretty hairy when we get to the rift...I sure wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you." She then put on a smile. "Besides, you can help out around here...you know...keep everyone safe and stuff...and find the flashlight if they need it. And when we get back and everything is working again, you can have all the Chick'n Bitz you can eat...I promise."

As Kimi spoke, the mole rat's face slowly turned from dejection to a grin. He brought up one tiny hand in a salute as she finished. "O-kay!" he squeaked.

Kimi moved again to hand Rufus to Monique. "Ruf is on the job," she grinned.

Kimi then turned to her right, where Frannie stood. "Remember what I said earlier," Frannie said softly, taking Kimi's hands into hers. "The Wind...the Sky...and home safe." She then attempted a smile. "After all, I'm going to need somebody to lose to in Bitz Hockey when this is over..." she punctuated this with a slight squeeze of Kimi's left hand. "That and...other things..."

Kimi read the depth in her friend's eyes as she nodded slightly. "The first game'll be right after they can turn the fryers back on."

The two suddenly locked into a tight hug, tears appearing at the corners of Frannie's closed eyes. "I can't wait," she whispered.

William gave Kim one more kiss, then turned to give Mark a firm handshake. "Good luck to all of you," he said. "The very best of luck."

"The best would be to come back to all of our futures intact," said Mark, "and that's what we'll be working toward."

William went into the foyer and opened the door as Kim, Kimi and Mark picked up their bags. William held the outside door open for them, holding onto it against the still-present wind as the trio headed out to the driveway and the Hummer. The others entered the foyer to stand on the front stoop, watching as Mark unlocked the vehicle and opened the back door on the driver's side, placing his bags inside and loading the rest as Kim and Kimi passed them to him. He then motioned for them to circle the truck to get in, with Kim in front and Kimi making a bit of a squeeze to slide into the back. Mark closed the back door on his side and moved forward to slide behind the wheel.

After days of being surrounded by darkness, the people on the stoop had to shade their eyes from the sudden glare of the Hummer's headlights as it slowly backed into the street.

"There they go," said Frannie as the truck pulled away, its lights bathing the now ever-present night. "That's the first thing I've seen move in almost two weeks."

Monique placed an arm over Frannie's shoulders. "Me too...but leave it to Wade to work miracles...and if that little miracle alone is any indication, everything else will be running just like that again in no time."

/xx/xx/xx/xx/

They traveled slowly through the neighborhood roads to the east of the park to avoid any people that might be outside in the Market Square area. Even with this rather stealth strategy, a couple of people spotted the Hummer in motion a couple of blocks before they reached Eastgate Drive. As they caught sight of the truck rolling down the street, the pair of people vaulted from the house they were standing near and began to chase after the Hummer, shouting as they ran.

Kimi craned her head to look through the back window. "Aren't we going to stop? They might need help."

Mark pressed a little on the throttle to speed up the vehicle. "If they can run that fast after us, they're probably in pretty good shape. And we can't stop...not now. They might just want the truck...and we can't afford to have anything happen to it, _or_ us."

Kim and Kimi looked through the side windows as Mark rounded into the intersection onto Eastgate Drive. The two who had been running after the Hummer stopped as they reached the wider asphalt of the Drive.

Winding through town after reaching Eastgate Drive took about the same time as a commute to work on a "normal" morning, complete with dealing with traffic, even if now stationary. The scene that presented itself was one that all three had seen before in recent days, but was still no less surreal as they passed through it;

Mile after mile of vehicles strewn across the road in various positions, parked or stopped and left deserted through no choice of their operators.

The "traffic" eased and lightened as they reached the outskirts of the city. As they turned onto the I-75 Pennsylvania Turnpike heading east, Mark touched a switch on the dash – and the road ahead was further brightened from massive six-inch off-road lights mounted on the roof and front bumper of the Hummer. More light on the world, yet no more life as they drove on, mile after deserted mile.

Their journey took them through the forests of central Pennsylvania, where the lack of automobiles had expanded the freedom of the wildlife beyond the boundary of the concrete ribbon that wound through their habitat. Kim and Kimi engaged in a sort of contest, each blurting out "Deer" or "R'coon" as they spotted another of the creatures in the road ahead, the first to utter the discovery earning a point. Each "point" was accompanied by Mark slowing the large vehicle and sometimes flashing the light display off and on to break the animal's hypnosis at the brightness and scare them from the road.

They continued past the small burgs of Denver and New Morgan. Upon reaching each town, any conversation among them ceased as they watched the landscapes pass before them, in much the same disarray as it was in Eastgate; dark, seemingly deserted houses and buildings; storefronts destroyed by looting; smoldering embers of buildings that had been gutted by the uncontrollable fires that consumed them.

They drove past the vast Valley Forge Plaza Shopping Center on the outskirts of King of Prussia – lines of shops in the same condition as the others – scoured by theft or ravaged by fire, and vehicles littered over the lot like forgotten toys, a few with the windows broken out.

Bridgeport – Plymouth – Fort Washington – each town they encountered was now a shell where movement and life were once present; now just collections of ghostly landmarks near the highway.

As they came through each dour scene and even through conversations in between, the same thought hammered home in Kimi's head—

_Welcome to the Wasteland._

As Mark turned the Hummer north onto Highway 611 at Willow Grove, the sky near the northern horizon seemed to take on a bit of a glow that held the interest of Kim and Kimi, but was a welcome sight for Mark, for he knew that the glow represented the nearness of his home and the end of their journey from Eastgate. As they rounded a small rise, the source of the glow also became a welcome sight to Kim and Kimi as the working lights of the Air Base called to their common sense – an oasis in a world of darkness.

Another sight greeted their eyes as they traveled along the road that led to the base; people.

Kimi pressed to the window on the right side of the Hummer as a few people became a steady stream, all walking in the direction of the base.

"Guess that food shipment came in from the coast while I was gone," Mark said. "We've been doing what we can to help people with warm food and blankets...whatever else they can use."

While the gesture of generosity Mark described would bring a smile to Kim's face in other circumstances, the scene around them only allowed her an expression of sad wonder as she stared through the window – and further kindled an inner anger which sparked the night she learned the root of the evil that had slithered its deadly tendrils over the world, and was now slowly, methodically choking the life from it.

/xx/xx/xx/xx/

Air National Guard 111th Fighter Wing  
North of Willow Grove  
9:21 AM.  
As they neared the entry to the base, the line of people became thicker – entire families stood in line, mothers holding onto and carrying children. The crowd was even more dense at the gate, where they were being given packages of food, blankets and batteries from a tractor-trailer backed to the gate with tall fences against either side of the open back of the trailer. A small detail was posted next to the truck, dressed in full combat gear. The people seemed unfazed by the presence of the firearms, perhaps from understanding the need for the security, or more concerned with receiving the items they needed for survival during this trying and uncertain time.

Two men stepped from the gate as the Hummer approached. One of the men gave Mark a salute. "Morning Major."

"Morning, Sergeant," said Mark, returning the salute. "I see the supplies have come in."

"Yes Sir, two days ago. We started distribution about 0800."

Mark looked over the multitude. "Quite a crowd."

"Yes Sir. Word has traveled fast. In fact, we've already gone through half the shipment this morning. I came out to tell you that this gate is closed to access. You'll have to circle around to the frontage road and use the South Gate."

Mark nodded. "Will do." He began to ease the Hummer over to the far side of the road across a series of parking spaces where he swung around and headed back down the road to an intersection, giving a couple of taps on the horn. The line of people backed away from the road, a few waving as the truck rolled through the space they made, which closed almost immediately once the Hummer was through it.

As they turned onto a short driveway to the South gate, they were met again by two men in full combat garb, one of which was carrying a clipboard. As Mark and one of the men exchanged a salute in the bright lights bathing the entrance, the other flipped open the clipboard, looking down a page. "Major Broderson?"

"That's right," answered Mark.

"Welcome back from Eastgate, Sir," the young Sergeant said. "How is it back that way?"

"About like everywhere else," returned Mark. "Messy. The fires have mostly burned themselves out, though, and there is limited services."

"Yes Sir," said the Sergeant. "I have relatives back in Braeburn, is why I ask." He peered a little closer into the Hummer, then back to the clipboard. "You have two civilians...Kim and—" he read for a second "...Kimmie Hodge?"

Kimi leaned forward a bit, attempting a smile. "Kee-mee," she corrected.

The Sergeant looked at the name again. "Sorry Ma'am. 'Keemee'." He flipped to another page. "Major, Cell-Intel has called ahead to alert us of your return. Quarters have been set up for your guests at the COTQ. You and your guests have orders from Lieutenant Colonel Atkins to head directly upon entering the Base to Ops Building 21, where he and Second Lieutenant Wilson are waiting."

Mark nodded. "We'll head straight there. Thank you, Sergeant."

The Sergeant closed the clipboard and straightened into another salute while the other had returned to the small guardhouse beside the gate. Mark nudged the Hummer back into gear as the tall chain-link fence across the entrance began to roll back. "Atkins is coordinating all our air support for the mission," Mark said as they headed through the gate and down the road toward a series of low buildings, "and you already know who Johnny is."

"How come we're staying on base?" asked Kimi. "I thought we would be staying at your house with you and Melfina."

"Well, not at our house, but you'll be with us," said Mark. "'Fina and I are staying at the COTQ. We moved on-base over the weekend, before I came out to Eastgate...for security reasons."

"It'll be great to see Melfina," said Kim. "I bet she'll be relieved to know there's a plan to end all this." She looked out the window as they continued along the road. "At least this hasn't destroyed everything," she said softly, attempting a distraction. "The oak trees on base are always beautiful in the summer..."

SpecOps Building 21  
9:34 AM.  
After leaving the Hummer, Mark, Kim and Kimi went up a short walk from the street and up a few steps to the door of the building. Inside, they were met by a man behind a desk, who was also dressed in combat fatigues, but not outfitted in the combat gear the men at the outside perimeter wore. He stood and saluted as the three approached, then presented a sheet for them to sign. "Thank you Major," the man said, then checked another sheet on a clipboard. "The Lieutenant Colonel and Second Lieutenant are in Room 112, just down the hall to the right."

Mark returned the salute. "Carry on." He turned and started down the hall with the two women close behind.

"Things sure seem...formal," remarked Kimi.

"After the blackout, the whole base went to full military protocol," said Mark. "They wanted to keep a tight lockdown inside...because they didn't know how bad it was going to get outside...and that's the way it's going to be for now."

Room 112  
A knock at the door, and the three entered the well-lit room – an array of six desks, with a large chart table at the end of the room, littered with maps and lists of data.

An older man, uniformed the same as Mark, rose from one of the desks as they entered and strode to the front of the room. Lieutenant Colonel Mike Atkins was of impressive stature, within only a few inches of Mark's massive 6'7" frame, though nowhere near as muscular. He had a thick head of wavy silverish-white hair that he made no attempt to color to hide his 56 years of age. He met the three next to the front pair of desks, giving Mark's hand a hearty shake. "Good to see you back, Mark," he said.

"Yeah, good to be back," grinned Mark. "I had to blink a couple of times when we got into the building, to get used to the lights again."

Mike laughed a bit. "Yeah, I imagine, with everything else down. We got a call from Wade about two hours ago telling us you were en route from Eastgate...accompanied by our two Celler warriors." He then turned to Kim, offering his hand. "Lieutenant Colonel Michael Atkins...you must be Kim Possible."

Kim brought up her hand, meeting the officer's. "Yes...only it's Kim Possible-Hodge. I'm married...been married for many years."

Mike's expression immediately slid into a warm smile. "Kim Possible-Hodge...well, a rose by any other name would still be regarded as the world's savior."

Kim turned away slightly in a sudden deep blush. "Thank you...that's just what we hope to do."

The Lt. Colonel now turned a bit to his left, again extending his hand. "And you're Kim's daughter. Kimi Hodge...the 'Steel Swan'."

Kimi's brow jumped a little in surprise not only at Mike's flawless first attempt at pronouncing her name, but at mention of the moniker she earned in training for the mission so many years ago. "Y-yes Sir," she stumbled slightly as she took his hand. "You...know about that...?"

"I sure do," Mike said. "I watched several of your training sessions from the balcony of the gym before the rescue mission in Cairo. In fact, it's what got me interested in taking Karate lessons myself shortly after that, mainly for exercise."

Kimi's face perked into a wide grin. "Sweet! What belt are you?"

"Just a Green Belt," said Mike. "It's gotten me into great shape...but it's kind of hard to find the time to devote to advancing when you also have a full-time career."

"Boy, ain't that the truth," said Mark, with Kim nodding. "I worked my tail off over the years to get as far as I have without it distracting from my military career. I've been Second-Degree Black for as long as I can remember."

"Any belt is better than no belt at all," Kimi smiled. "Just find a little time each day to study and work on one thing...you build on your knowledge, and once you have the basics of the belt down, the additional stuff is easier, and the belts will come faster."

Mike chuckled a little. "That's how I do it. I'll get farther...if the belts don't kill me first. I couldn't walk straight for a week after spending a weekend trying to get my sliding side kick as high as some of the Black Belts."

Now Kimi burst a small giggle. "Yeah, the Green's no fun at first. It's the first advanced belt."

Kim couldn't resist the chance to display her instructor prowess. "I remember you being so frustrated over that belt at first," she said. "You were so relieved when the test was over...you were what, nine?"

"Almost nine-and-a-half," replied Kimi, "that belt was all about Mondo Frustrato for about four months."

Mike suddenly had to pick up the slack in his jaw. "A—at nine? Man, do I feel old now..."

Kimi giggled again. "Nah...a Green in six years is actually pretty good...and I was barely more than a baby when I started learning Karate...and, I kind of had an unfair advantage—" she stole a quick glance at Kim, coupling it with her wrinkled-nose grin "...being that I was living with my instructor all the way until I made Black Belt." The last of her statement was accented by a proud smile from her mother.

Mike took the few seconds to reorient his composure. "Well I don't think there are two more capable candidates to perform what is being asked of them," he said. He then looked at Mark, motioning a hand to the chart table and starting in that direction. "I wanted to touch base with you when you got back. Johnny has been contacting bases up and down the Atlantic Seaboard since Cell-Intel gave us the instructions on how to get things back online. We got the computer grid up just Monday night, and we've been in contact with Offutt to get an FB-942 here for modifications to carry and deploy the EMP device. They're on your route, so they're gearing up, same as we are."

"Johnny's always been a whiz with electronics," said Mark as they approached the table. "Speaking of which, I thought he would be here with you."

"He was," replied Mike. "He stepped out to get a coffee pot for the room, since he knew you'd be back soon. I'll have him contact you in your quarters if he doesn't get back before you leave."

As the two men looked over the maps laid out on the table, Kim and Kimi had remained at the head of the room, near the door. Kim turned to Kimi. "Seems like a nice guy," she whispered. "He's sure impressed with you."

"With _me?_" returned Kimi. "...'a rose by any other name'? Hel-lo...Flirty Colonel much?"

The two men at the table had to look back to the other end of the room at the pair of women, who were now in the process of trying to stifle their sudden outbreak of school-girlish giggles, and failing poorly.

COTQ Building  
10:15 AM.  
After parking the Hummer, Mark helped the women unload their bags, and the three went up a short walk and a small flight of stairs to the entrance of the building. Mark set down his bags and held the door open for Kim and Kimi to enter. They went to a desk directly off the door, where a Sergeant had them sign in. "We're in 1-D," said Mark as they continued into the hall. "Your quarters are just down the hall, but I wanted to let Melfina know we're here. She needs to know what we found out...and, I'd feel better if you were in the room when I tell her."

"It seems like forever since I've talked to Melfina," Kimi said. "She sends me at least three e- or v-mails a week at school."

"Yeah, she's missed you both like crazy. She really wanted to come out to Eastgate with me, but she understood that it was safer for her to stay on base."

They arrived at a door about 25 feet into the hall, where Mark set down his attache and reached into the pocket of his jacket for his key ring, isolating a small card on it, sliding it into a slot above the doorknob. He opened the door and slipped the keys back into his pocket as he stepped inside. "'Fina?"

A small quick "Oh" perked from the kitchen, along with the sound of a chair moving. Melfina appeared at the doorway at the far side of the living room, her eyes alight and her smile wide. "Oohhhhhh," she burst as she raced across the room to wrap Mark tightly in her arms, burying her head against his chest. "A fond welcome home to to you, my love."

"Safe and sound," smiled Mark, "but then, I traveled back in good company and a good escort."

Melfina shifted slightly to the side, her arms wide. "Kim! Kimi! My friends," she said, taking Kim into a warm hug. "My closest friends."

"Hi Melfina," Kim burst forth with a wide smile as she gathered her Celler friend's embrace. "Good to see another friendly face."

Melfina pulled back slightly, still with a warm smile. "A friendly face is always a welcome end to any journey," she said, "but in this case, it is the journey which has brought the face." She then turned to Kimi, again extending her arms. "And this journey has brought double the welcome with your daughter, the wondrous student Kimi."

Kimi uttered a slight giggle and a small blush as the slender brunette Celler hostess wrapped her arms around her. "I sure miss all the e- and v-mails," she said. "Moni is all about cook every recipe you send us. She loves to share with the rest of the dorm during parties."

"Two things that were always meant to be shared," beamed Melfina. "Good food, and a Celler's passion for preparing it."

"I called the base before we left Eastgate," said Mark. "Kim and Kimi have quarters set up down the hall. I knew you would have wanted us to come by here first." He placed an arm around his wife. "Wade has shared quite a bit of information on what's been going on."

"Then we shall continue the sharing over fresh coffee and tea while you share what you can with me," Melfina said, turning for the kitchen and motioning for the others to follow.

Kim and Kimi wore a slight expression of disbelief as they entered the kitchen. While they had visited quarters like this before in many previous trips to the base, what met their senses went against what they had experienced to this point—

Things actually appeared normal.

The ceiling light was on. The stove was working, including the small LED clock on the instrument display showing the correct time; a kettle was quietly steeping on one of the burners, the meandering wisps of steam lending a warm ambiance to the room. Another clock on the wall – an electric clock, was also keeping time – a classic pictorial of "Felix the Cat" ticking away quietly, its eyes shifting back and forth with the swinging of its pendulum tail. Even the small background hum indicating that the refrigerator was operating.

Melfina took some cups from a tree on the counter, arranging them in a row, then opened a decanter filled with teabags. "I trust your preference is still orange and black Pekoe," she said, placing a bag in each of the cups. "After I have the water poured for the tea, I shall make a pot of coffee."

Kim continued looking slowly over the kitchen. "It's...it's almost like...nothing has happened," she said slowly.

"The power came back online about two days after Wade first called," said Mark. "There's a power station on base. He talked the engineers through how to make the adjustments to the generators to get power to the grid. It's also another reason why the base is on lockdown...they were worried about how people living outside the base would react once they saw that we had power here, and they didn't."

Kimi slowly settled into one of the chairs at the table. "Is there a way to get the power on outside the base?"

"The base is on its own grid," Mark said. "Wade said that it might be doable...but it might cause more problems. A lot of people would be turning on things all at once, and with the way things are right now, that might overload their systems. Our grid has protections built in that the general public's grid doesn't. It can handle spikes of that nature...like from an EMP pulse from a nuclear device, for example, in case of that type of attack."

Melfina had by this time filled three of the cups, the room now offering the aroma of the tea as it began to steep. She brought two of the cups to the table, setting one in front of Kimi and motioning to the empty chair next to her. "Please, Kim...sit while your tea brews," she said, setting the other cup at the empty place. "I shall begin the water for the coffee and join you."

Mark looked slightly toward the table. "Yeah," he said softly, "you'll want to be seated when you hear what we've learned..."

/xx/xx/xx/xx/

10:38 AM.  
Melfina's eyes were wide with astonishment and shock as she reached across the corner of the table to lightly touch the left side of Kim's face. "This is part of the result from the assault you speak of? I am glad there are no scars...but still, it is horrible that you were the victim of such a cruel, baseless attack without provocation. Does it still hurt?"

Kim now brought up her hand, touching to the remnant of the wound, now little more than a slight discoloration. "Not anymore," she said. "It's almost gone. A couple of days after the fight, the entire left side of my face was purple..."

"It was pretty dark when I came home last week," said Kimi. "When I first saw it, and after I found out what happened, I wanted to take Zach and go hunting for the two slugs who did it...but Mom stopped us."

Melfina turned to Kimi. "And she was wise to do so. While apprehending Kim's assailants is the prudent course, your motive would have been rooted more in revenge than in justice. To act without thinking would be to sink to the level of those who perpetrated the attack." She rose to move to the stove as the kettle began to whistle. She removed the kettle from the burner after shutting it off, stopping before pouring the water into a coffee decanter similar to the one that Mark had taken to Eastgate. "There is a sector of the populace that will always act on emotion rather than instinct during times of adversity...because it is that which they choose to listen to first. Those with a clearer head must prevail at those times, or anarchy shall become the norm."

"That attack might not have happened at all if it hadn't been for that Senator from New York on the radio a couple of weeks ago," Kim said, making a bit of a face at "Senator" and her expression darkening a bit.

Melfina replaced the kettle on the stove, then brought the decanter of coffee and another cup to the table. "That was the broadcast which Kagome was in, yes?"

"That's the one," replied Kim, with a look of disgust as mention of the heated exchange also recalled the emotion of her reaction.

"I did not hear it when it was broadcast," said Melfina as she began to dip her teabag in and out of her cup, "but there were some here on base who have discussed it afterward. As there are those who act on emotion, there are others who prey on that emotion and attempt to use it to their own end."

"I was just burning up inside when I heard the things he was accusing Cellers of," said Kim. Her eyes then drifted to the table. "The only way they could have been worse is if his accusations had been right by fact instead of by misinformed theory..."

Melfina tilted her head slightly in puzzlement, trying to read the connection between Kim's words and her expression. "I...am not sure I understand. 'Right by'...?"

Her attention shifted as Mark's hand found hers. "That's part of what Wade revealed to us in Eastgate," he said. "All the changes over the last couple of months, and the worldwide blackout...some Cellers are behind all of it. Evil Cellers have...broken their way into the Flesher environment...they're manipulating the Resonance Conduit." Melfina took in a sharp breath at the revelation.

"We have until the next Conduit cycle on the 24th to stop them," Kim said.

Melfina turned back to Kim, then again to her husband. "Or..."

She looked to each of the other people at the table as an uneasy silence fell over them for a few seconds until Kim spoke. "Wade said that if they still have control of the Conduit when it cycles, it'd be...the end..."

Mark could feel a shiver through his wife's hand as her face fell into a deep frown.

"Long story short," added Kimi, "...it's all about make the worst parts of the Bible look like Sesame Street..."

The teabag Melfina was holding with her other hand dropped into her cup and a tear slid over her cheek. "...no," slipped from her mouth. "It...it cannot be...you must...they must be stopped..."

Mark attempted to console Melfina, holding her hand now with both of his. "That's why Kim and Kimi came back with me," he said. "Wade has given us a plan to put a stop to all of it and reverse what they've done...before anything else can happen."

Melfina shifted in her chair, turning to Mark and clasping her free hand around his, her expression further deteriorating as more tears came. "For—for so many years," she sobbed, "...Cellers have worked to bring nothing but their best intentions to this environment...our appearance was only to bring companionship and joy to the Fleshers who have so adored us, and—welcomed and embraced us from the very first Cross...and now the—very world could come undone...everything undone by this—dark evil—" Her words began to fail as she leaned to Mark, weeping into his chest.

Kimi looked to her mother, her eyes showing the impact of Melfina's reaction to learning that the world's present disaster was brought about by her own kind.

Kim stood to caress her friend's heaving shoulders. "We'll stop them, Melfina," she said, her brow lowering in determination. "I promise...whatever it takes...we'll stop them."

Melfina looked up to Kim from Mark's shoulder, wiping at her eyes. "And I am among the three people in this world," she said slowly, "in whom I have the most faith to accomplish just that." She then stood and embraced Kim warmly. "You shall preserve us. You shall persevere...and we all shall survive as a result."

"It's all about count on it," said Kimi.

Melfina pulled back a little and reached for a tissue from a box on the table. She put a bit of a smile on her face as she dabbed at her eyes. "Speaking further of survival," she said, "Johnny was by a couple of days ago. He must have been aware of your return. He brought copious amounts of fresh groceries...enough to restock the refrigerator, which he also checked to ensure its proper operation."

"There were a lot of conference calls with the base while I was at the Hodges," said Mark, standing and turning to the refrigerator. "I told Johnny to check on you...see what you might need." He opened the door – and the sight brought a wide smile to his face. "As usual, he delivered." He closed the door and turned to Kim. "C'mon...let's get you two settled in your quarters...then you can come back for some dinner."

"We now have fresh lettuce, from the shipment that arrived," said Melfina, "and eggs. I can prepare salad."

Kimi grinned. "Mmm...I haven't had any salad in, like, ever."

Mark turned to take Melfina into his arms. "Get your bags and we'll go," he said.

"I shall begin to hard-boil some eggs," said Melfina, stretching up on one foot to give Mark a kiss and smiling. "This shall be a happy welcome home...and a welcome to our friends."

"Back in a little bit," Mark said.

Kim and Kimi returned to the living room, gathering their bags as Mark joined them. They went into the hall and back to the front desk where the Sergeant had Kim and Kimi sign for key cards to their quarters, and they set off again for the hall.

11:04 AM.  
Quarters 1-H  
Kimi and Mark entered the quarters. Kimi set her bags on the floor in front of the couch. "I know it's been quite a while since you've been in the COTQ," said Mark as he turned on a small lamp on a table next to the couch, "but everything should be about like it was the last time you stayed here. This one is a carbon copy of the one your mom is staying in next door...and everything should be working, now that we have power."

"I brought a little word processor from school," Kimi said. "I was hoping to recharge the batteries in it."

Mark motioned to a small desk with a terminal on top. "Well, the base computers are all operational, if you'd rather use that...and most of the base Intranet is up."

"Aww, diamond!" she perked. "I'll have stuff to do when I'm not working on stuff."

"Working on—oh...you brought some schoolwork?"

"No...I meant, like, Karate training with Mom. I just do some poetry on the word processor...just messing around." She then looked to her backpack. "Speaking of school, actually, there is something kind of school-related that I wanted to talk about with you while I'm here, if we get a little spare time..."

Mark thought for a second. "School-related...something about your law enforcement classes?"

Kimi looked a bit to the side. "Yeah...my sidearm training...problems with recoil are really tanking my range scores..." She continued as Mark moved to sit at one end of the couch. "I can get off one good shot, no prob," she said, "but if I try to put another shot anywhere near the first one with any kind of speed, it's all about way off."

"Well...there are things you can look at before we even get to the range," Mark said, "like your technique. I don't have a piece with me, or we could look at that right now."

A grin burst onto Kimi's face. She reached for her backpack and sat on the couch and unsnapped the front pouch. "I have a little .380 that I brought with me from school," she said, bringing out the pistol and quickly releasing the clip, then turning it over and racking the slide to remove the bullet from the chamber before passing the gun to Mark.

Mark took the weapon, looking it over for a moment before handing it back to Kimi. "Okay...let's start with your grip." Kimi stood in front of Mark and took the gun into both hands, her left cradled under her right. Mark looked for a few seconds. "There. There's something right off," he said, pointing to her right hand. "You're holding the weapon a little low. You want to move your hand up until there is a ridge of your skin just under the tang below the slide. That way, you've lowered the fulcrum point." He moved a finger along the barrel of the gun. "You want the bore of the weapon as close to your hand as you can get it. That gives you more leverage, and there's less of a chance of the recoil pivoting your hand back when you fire."

Mark now shifted slightly toward the bottom of the weapon. "This also gives your support hand more of the gun to control, versus gripping just your other hand...and they can work in opposite directions while you fire."

Kimi took a quick glance from the weapon to her instructor, her brow raising a little. "...Opposite?"

"Yep. You're working against the recoil of the gun when it fires. The hand gripping the gun should be pushing a little bit...and your support hand is actually pulling back a little...and both hands should be tight...tight grip. The tighter your grip, the less chance the gun will shift in your grip when you fire. I can't believe they didn't go over any of this in your classes."

Kimi looked a little to the side, recalling her first hours at the range on the campus. "They said that a two-handed grip is best...but they said nothing about where to put your hands, or about the grip...they just said to...use the grip that's most comfortable."

A slight grin slipped onto Mark's face at this. "Which would you rather be, Ki – comfortable...or consistently accurate? Besides...the more you work with the proper grip, the more comfortable it'll become as you get used to it."

Mark now rose from the couch. "Now...put the gun down, and show me your firing stance."

Kimi turned to place the pistol on the cushion of the couch, then straightened, holding her arms out as if still holding the weapon, adjusting to spread her legs slightly.

"That's how you stand on the firing line?"

"Yeah."

"Okay...you're standing too square...too rigid. You don't have any leverage."

Kimi's brow raised again. "Hm? This is just how I stood when I used the dart pistol for the Cairo mission..."

"Okay," said Mark, "but compared to a live firearm, the dart pistol is just a toy. You have to be braced to absorb the shock of the recoil to have consistent aim. Tell you what – drop your arms. Just stand there." She did as instructed, straightening slightly and letting her hands fall to her sides. Mark then placed a hand against the center of her chest. "If someone pushes you while you're standing there—" he began to press against her chest "—what's your first instinct?"

Kimi broke into a wrinkle-nosed smirk. "...to push back?"

Mark couldn't help but to chuckle a bit. "No no – think of your Karate. If you know you're about to get a punch in the chest—" he punctuated this with a slight shove "—what's your _first_ instinct?"

Kimi reacted by shifting one of her feet behind her and pressed back against Mark's motion, her knees bending slightly. "I set myself for the impact," she said. "I even lean in a little, to brace for the...shock of the...punch..."

Her words slowed as she made the connection, further pointed by Mark's grin and gentle nod "...or the _shock of a recoil._" He withdrew his hand, watching the smile on Kimi's face growing as the analogy sank in. "You deal with recoil with your entire body, not just your hands. It's a bit like Karate. I'll see if we can get a couple hours on the range this weekend. Practice your grip and stance until then."

Kimi moved to take the gun from the couch and turned to place it on the desk along with the clip and the ejected bullet. "I can feel my scores going up already," she smiled. "Thanks."

"I'll let you get more settled," said Mark, turning for the door. "Dinner should be in about an hour."

"I'll see if there's anybody on the Intranet," said Kimi. "I wonder if Amy or Dani are still up at their schools or if they made it home."

Mark gave a nod as he passed through the doorway, turning to reach for the knob. "See you and your mom in a bit, Ki."

"Thanks for the tips. See you."

As the door closed, Kimi returned to the couch, reaching again for her backpack and unzipping the main compartment, pulling out the small word processor. She reached again to find the cord and brought them both to the desk, setting the processor on the desk and plugging one end of the cord into a receptacle in the back. She then bent next to the desk, plugging the other end of the cord into an outlet jutting a couple of inches from the floor. As she straightened, a small smile crept onto her face as she saw one of the LED lights on the front of the device glowing orange, indicating that the batteries were charging. _Oh yeah_, she thought. _Fresh charge for the batteries...fresh tips for the range..._

_It's all about glad I made the trip._

_Thank yoouuu, Major Mark._

/xx/xx/xx/xx/

The four met again at Quarters 1-D shortly after Noon, where they discussed their new living arrangements over the salad Melfina had prepared, which Kimi described as "ult-delish". Mark also went into further detail for Melfina, telling about the shield erected near the site of the Conduit rift and its resistance to attacks with weapons. He also explained as best he could the effects that the altered Conduit was having on Cellers in its vicinity in both environments and how Wade had theorized Drakken and Shego and possibly other of the evil Cellers were protecting themselves from those effects with the polarized goggles taken in the raid on the Flagstaff armory. He also gave details about the plan formulated to end Drakken's plan by having Kim and Kimi infiltrate the lair he had set up and find a way to disrupt the shield long enough for Wade to make an attempt to sever the connection of the magnetic signal.

Melfina listened through it all while keeping Mark's hand clasped in hers, and he felt as well as saw her reaction to each detail of Drakken's sinister plot and its connection to the worldwide disasters brought about as result. Several times during the discussion, Mark had to stop to console his wife as the realization of the true horrors overtook her emotion. It was during these times that Kim and Kimi also lent their help in calming Melfina and instilling in her the confidence that the people currently around her were of the commitment to pull the world back from the precipice of destruction it now seemed to teeter on.

1:22 PM.  
Mark looked at the clock on the wall, checking it against his watch. "We need to head back over to the Ops building for a bit," he said. "There are a couple of things I wanted to get set up before tomorrow."

"Like what?" asked Kimi.

"Like getting you two set up with a couple of mobile phones...in case we need to communicate."

Kimi's eyes widened a bit. "Ooo...cell phones...would we be able to have Wade set up so we could call home?"

"No no," said Mark. "They're not cells...just mobile. They just work off the base Intranet grid. They have a walkie-talkie feature. They're so we can talk without having to walk between quarters all the time."

"With the base computers up and running," quipped Kim, "it won't be like you won't have anyone to talk to."

"Not really," Kimi said a bit dejectedly. "I tried to get a hold of Amy or Dani or any of the others I know. I tried email, instant messages...nothing back. They're...still out there, somewhere..."

Melfina placed a hand onto Kimi's shoulder. "Worry not about your friends," she said. "Just as you were watched over and protected by the staff at your campus, they are being protected by people at their colleges as well. And as far as needing someone to talk to, you and I may converse at any time of the day or night."

Kimi gave a slight nod of understanding, her expression also giving a hint of slight disappointment.

"We also need to stop by the gym," continued Mark. "We'll get you registered with a couple of lockers, so you won't have to drag your equipment down there every time you want to work out or practice."

"Will you be with us for any of our sessions in the gym?" asked Kimi.

"Off and on," replied Mark. "I'll mainly be working with Mike and Johnny on logistics for the route to the Canyon...but I'll find time to sneak in there now and again." He looked over to Kim and smiled. "It's not like you'll be wanting for an instructor or anything..."

"Most of what we'll be doing is going over sequences and technique," said Kim. "That and exercises to tone up."

Kimi nodded. "It's all about polish," she said, folding one of her arms across her body and tensing her muscles, then bringing up a fist in a quick, short stab at the air in front of her. "Still, it's good to spar once in a while."

"Got that covered, too," Mark said. "I had Johnny contact some of the members of the Karate club on base. You'll have some of them there in KISS suits to work with during the afternoons, as long as their CO's clear them."

"I wish there was a way that Zach could have come out with us to the base," said Kimi. "It would have been nice to do a little more polish on my Escrima." She brought up a hand before her mother could even begin her rebuttal of that logic. "I know...he's better off at home with Dad and the rest. I told him how Fleshers won't be able to get near the rift, anyway...he wanted to go help there, too."

"I liked Zach from the moment I met him," Mark said. "He really knows his stuff when it comes to martial arts weapons...it's almost hard to believe that he's only a second-degree Black Belt."

"He's given Ki almost all of her weapons training," said Kim. "They met one afternoon at the dojo, before I got off work." She looked over to Kimi with a smile as she continued. "She was 12...working on getting her Purple Belt. We had been working on some staff defense techniques for about a month, and she was having the hardest time with them. Zach had been wanting to meet us for quite some time after we started going there in the afternoons. He was watching Ki practice, and he came up and introduced himself. He started helping her during the time before I got there...and it just became part of her routine to work with him. He's the one who got Ki so interested in Escrima. He's almost become like one of the family over the years."

"Quite a find, as far as a helpful instructor." Mark said. "Ki with Escrima is something not many of her opponents want to go up against."

"And now he's in college with her, helping her there," added Kim, "and when they're home, he helps out there, too. Quite a find, in more ways than one," she finished with a smile to Kimi.

Kimi affirmed her mother's statement with a nod and a smile of her own – but her mind held a slightly different, unspoken sentiment:

_Hold on to that thought, Mom...it's all about you have no idea how true it is._

"Go and run your errands," said Melfina. "I shall take the afternoon to prepare a good meal to further celebrate the arrival of our friends. Johnny brought many items of grocery, including all the ingredients necessary for making the Chicken Pot Pie." She then smiled toward Kim and Kimi. "I am sure our guests will find it as pleasing as you do."

Kim's expression immediately drifted into a dreamy grin. "Mmm, that sounds just delish," she cooed.

"Now Zach would really wish he had come with, if he had heard that," said Kimi. "Chicken is all about his food...when he doesn't have steak."

Mark rose from his chair, reaching a hand to Melfina, who also stood. "We shouldn't be more than about an hour," he said. "We might stop back by the quarters to pick up some of the girls' Karate equipment, if they want to store it in the lockers before tomorrow...but after that and after we get the phones set up, we're good to go for the rest of the evening."

Melfina leaned up to reach for her husband, giving him a kiss as he bent to meet her. "Then we shall count this evening as that which is normal," she said. "That which we still hold on to...good friends and good food."

Kimi took a sip from the last of her tea and stood to join her mother. "The sooner we get done, the sooner we can get back," she said. "Then maybe after dinner we can catch up on some of the 'gammon. I've been dying for new opponents, after playing Frannie and Moni for two weeks straight." She then tipped her head toward Mark, coupling it with a slight smirk. "Monique even got Major Mark into a game or two...with a little help from his 'gammon Sensei."

Melfina's eyes perked a bit. "Really. One who is not given to games of chance or luck...but under your tutelage, I am sure he fared well in the contest."

"Yeah," replied Kimi, "but I still don't think he likes it enough to want to play without being talked into it."

Mark nodded. "As Ki would say it, not something I'd be...all about...every day," bringing a quick titter from Kimi.

/xx/xx/xx/xx/

The three left the COTQ building and returned to the Hummer for a short trip back to Spec Ops and the Communications Office, where Kim and Kimi filled out small forms to register for mobile phones. The devices they received consisted of a plug-in base unit a bit larger than a pack of cigarettes with a well to hold the small clam-shell type phone and recharge it when not in use. There was a short bit of concern for Kimi when she could not locate her temporary ID card, but she found it hidden deep within one of the pockets of her wallet, remembering she had tucked it there before starting college.

The trio next went to the gym, where Kim and Kimi registered for lockers, large enough for a change of clothes. They made one more trip to the COTQ for their equipment, and Kimi found that, if she turned them at the right angle, she could wedge her Escrima sticks into the locker if she removed them from their case, which she placed on a hook.

There were small tags in holders on the lockers for them to write their names on. Kimi was grateful that they were given pencils instead of pens, as she went through a moment of indecision what to write on the tag to differentiate it from Kim's. She had first written "Ki Hodge", but erased it. On a lark, she hastily scrawled, "K. Corello" but quickly erased that, as she had yet to disclose to her mother what had transpired between her and Zach the night before they left Eastgate.

A smile slowly spread onto her face as she set the point of the pencil onto the tag for a third time, writing simply – "S. Swan".

/xx/xx/xx/xx/

On returning to the quarters, they found that Melfina had the kitchen alive with the sounds and smells of a meal in preparation; just-rolled crust on the counter. Freshly washed and diced potatoes, celery, onion and carrots in a large bowl. Cubed chicken breast simmering in a mixture of minced garlic, onion salt and black pepper.

"Mmm, Melfina," Kim purred upon entering the kitchen, "that smells great even if it's not done yet."

Melfina turned back from stirring the chicken. "It is a dish that Mark and I have enjoyed before," she smiled, "and despite the simplicity of its name, as I said earlier today, I am sure that you will find it as pleasing as Mark and I do."

Kimi burst into a bit of a smirk. "All about d'uh," she said. "If you cooked it, it doesn't matter what it is, I know it'll be ult-delish."

"Sure beats what comes in a box from the store," added Mark.

Melfina gave Mark a quick stare, then turned to Kimi, smiling. "If I may borrow a phrase—" she turned back to Mark with her smile "—dear husband..." She canted her head at a bit of an angle to finish. "..._d'uh_."

Kim and Kimi shot Melfina a look of surprise – then burst into giggling snickers. "You could never hold factory-prepared food up against anything a Celler makes at home," said Kim. She then turned back to Melfina. "Anything I can do to pitch in?"

"Yes!" perked Melfina. "I shall boil some water for tea while we are preparing. The chicken is nearly cooked. I have one more carrot to dice, and then I will put the vegetables in the skillet before combining everything in the pan to bake. If you would, you may open and drain a can of peas and add them to the bowl of vegetables, then open a can of broth."

Mark motioned a hand toward the living room. "C'mon, Ki," he said. "Let's test your college skills in a game that has nothing to do with chance or luck...chess."

"Oooh, chess," Kimi mused. "You're going to make me think and stuff. I haven't played in a while. There's a girl who hangs around the library and keeps trying to get people to join in a chess club she's been trying to put together. One of the girls in my dorm says that she's nice...but she doesn't know a whole lot about the game."

Mark's face grew a little smile as he placed an arm around Kimi's shoulders. "Let's see how much you know," he said as they passed through the doorway to the living room. "There has to be something in which I can show you that youth is not an advantage."

Kimi responded with a tiny smirk. "Well, I already know about the coffee..."

Kimi brought a small footstool to one side of the coffee table while Mark brought the chess set and board from a shelf below and they set up the pieces for a game.

In the kitchen, Melfina and Kim continued the preparation of the evening meal, discussing things they were doing during the recent spate of blackouts, and how their lives had changed in an effort to cope after the light event and the worldwide disruption of power. Melfina filled the kettle and set it on a burner for tea as Kim opened a can of peas and poured them through a strainer, then added them to the bowl with the other vegetables, mixing them gently, and rinsing out the strainer. Melfina went back to the skillet, stirring the chicken once more. She then brought the skillet to the sink, draining the chicken and leaving it in the strainer. She returned the skillet to the burner and scooped in the large bowl of vegetables, then asked Kim for the can of broth she had opened and poured in enough to cover the mix. "I did not think much about finding a working radio," Melfina said as she turned up the burner's heat and reached for the dial next to that to turn off the other burner as the kettle began to sing. "Mark was continuing to go to work, and would relay much of what he had heard when he came home."

Kim took two cups from the tree on the counter and picked a couple of teabags from the decanter. "Yeah," she said, "we hooked up a wire to the ceiling in William's office to use as an antenna...but it turned out that most of what we were hearing made me wish we hadn't."

Melfina brought the kettle from the stove and began to fill one of the cups. "My main concern at the onset of the light phenomenon, was just to avoid the light itself. It was seeming as if it were actually draining my energy as well as the electricity. I had gone into the garage of our house to escape it. When Mark came home a little later, he affixed blankets over the windows of the bedroom. By that time I was so tired, I only had the strength remaining to move to that room and...just lie down."

Kim looked up from the counter. "How long did you sleep," she asked softly.

Melfina stopped before pouring water in the second of the cups, looking up to Kim as if she were revealing an embarrassing secret. "...it was late that evening before I awakened. I...I had never had to sleep so much before..."

Kim placed a hand on Melfina's shoulder, nodding slowly. "It's good that you weren't outside in that light. We had to walk home from work. By the time we got home, William had to carry me into the house. I slept through until the next morning."

Melfina's expression became sullen as her eyes slowly lowered. "I suppose we have at least that to be thankful for...if the light event had continued for much longer...there is no telling how far its effects might have reached among Cellers...or what worse might have become of them..."

4:23 PM.  
Kim walked into the living room and approached the coffee table. "Melfina says dinner will be ready in about—"

She stopped at a sudden stare from Kimi coupled with a finger over her lips.

Kim shifted her eyes to Mark. "—about 20 minutes," she finished in a whisper.

"This may or may not be over by then," said Mark in a low voice. He then glanced across the board to his opponent, flashing a bit of a sly smile. "Depends on the next few moves."

Kim clasped her hands behind her back and turned her attention to the board, judging from the positioning of the pieces that her daughter had a slight tactical edge.

Kimi was hunched over the board with her hands in front of her face, her thumbs tapping against her lips. She reached to the board, picking up a knight from near her side of the board and nudging it onto a square occupied by one of Mark's bishops, curling the captured piece into her fingers and lingering her index finger on the top of of the knight for a few seconds, as if finishing last-minute contemplation of her move.

The moment she retracted her hand from the piece, Mark let out a breath of relief, picking up his remaining bishop. "And there it is," he said, placing the piece at its new position and sitting up straight, a smile growing on his face. "Mate in four."

Kimi's hands dropped into her lap, still clutching onto the captured bishop and her jaw fell slack as she took in the new position. "What? No way...!"

"I'll sacrifice that bishop with check on the next move, now that you've moved your knight," said Mark. "Your only move would be to take it with your king—" he moved the pieces as he spoke, playing out the defeat to Kimi's astonishment "—and with that pawn gone, your King's side is wide open. And then my queen...and rook...would come over and finish you off." Kimi looked over board as Mark continued. "I'd been waiting for you to come after my Queen's side bishop with your knight for about the last ten moves...I left it wide open, knowing the knight was overworked ever since you took your queen out of position."

Kimi slowly shook her head. "I...I didn't see the trap. I thought that bishop was guarding with your queen when you castled Queens-side."

Mark grew a knowing smile, waving his index finger slightly. "One of the keys to any good trap... is effective misdirection." He looked up to Kim with a nod, then back to Kimi, his smile still present. "Now...what did you learn?"

Kimi brought her hand from her lap, placing the captured bishop with the other pieces at the side of the board. "I learned that I don't play enough chess."

"And...?"

The young woman rolled her eyes slightly. "And...youth isn't always an edge in something..."

Mark nodded once. "And?"

"There's more? More than not falling for a stupid trap?"

"Two more," said Mark. "One...consider every piece on the board when you think about a move. The little details can add up to something big later on." He reached to tap the bishop. "And two...sometimes, you have to give up something to go after a bigger goal...the greater good." He then placed his hands on his knees, pushing to stand. "Even I learned something," he said to Kim. "Thinking makes me hungry."

"There's a whole pan of food for thought about 15 minutes away," smiled Kim.

"I'll have to see if there's anyone on the base Intranet who plays chess," Kimi said. "It's all about polish for a rematch."

Mark slipped his arms around the shoulders of both women as the three moved into the kitchen, where Melfina had set the table. She had put on fresh coffee for her husband and was boiling more water for tea for her and their guests. After about 15 minutes, she donned a pair of oven gloves and opened the stove, bringing out the tempting meal covered with a golden brown crust. While it was the norm that anything Melfina prepared was an enjoyable meal, the current conditions made the rich dish a special treat, savored to the last bite.

After eating, Kim, Melfina and Kimi engaged in a few games of backgammon while Mark looked on, still trepidatious about joining in the game.

After about two hours of talk and play, Kim announced that they should retire to their quarters, as she wanted to get an early start on working out the next morning. "Don't stay up too late," she mentioned to Kimi as the four entered the living room. "I'm calling you early...like 6 AM early. We have a lot of work to do in the next week."

"I'll be up and ready," returned Kimi. "I'll sleep good, after that super supper."

Melfina's expression widened into a warm grin. "It was a pleasure preparing such an enjoyable meal for our friends."

"And a pleasure to have things still working," added Kim. "I hope we can get the rest of the world working again."

"Sleep well," said Melfina.

"I'll drive you two to the gym in the morning," Mark said. "I'll be at Spec Ops for most of the day. I still have to get a hold of Johnny before I turn in. He was supposed to call."

"See you in the morning," waved Kim as she and her daughter started down the hall to their separate quarters. They stopped at Kimi's door, where she gave her mother a quick hug and a small kiss on the cheek. "Sleep good, Hon," she said.

"I will," said Kimi. "You too. Night."

"Night."

/xx/xx/xx/xx/

9:24 PM.  
Kimi returned from the kitchenette with a glass of water and sat at the desk, stopping for a second to check the indicator on the front of the small word processor, which was glowing green. _Cool. All charged up,_ she thought as she continued to the chair. _I'm not charged up enough for poetry tonight, though._ She sipped on the water before turning her attention to the monitor of the computer, moving the cursor to the "Mail" section of the local Intranet grid. _Nothing in here. It'd be nice if I could hear from Amy or Dani or somebody. It's probably like Melfina said...they're safe at their schools. It's not like they have someone like Major Mark to come pick them up and bring them home._

She then returned to the main menu, choosing the "Games" section. _Too tired for chess, too. Too much thinking. I should just get to—_

Her thoughts were stopped by a small blip from the computer's speaker and an asterisk at the corner of the screen. "Chat message?" she wondered aloud as she hovered her cursor over the symbol and clicked it. A small text box opened.

:hi:

Kimi's curiousity over the unsolicited greeting drew her fingers to the keyboard. :Hi there:

:im bored: came the next message. :do u play bakgamon:

:All the time: typed Kimi, overlooking the misspelling.

:want 2 play:

_What's a game or two before bed,_ thought Kimi. :Sure:

Another small box appeared on the screen inviting Kimi to a game. She clicked it and a board appeared in the starting position for a game. :You can go first: Kimi offered to her opponent.

The first game went quickly, with Kimi eking out a win. One game turned into several, with the unknown player gaining an edge in several of the matches. :your good: the screen read after a game.

:Thanks: replied Kimi. :You too:

:ive been playing since i was 5:

:And how old are you now?:

:im 11:

:Wow: Kimi typed, echoing the word in her mind, her memory calling up the scene from her own childhood when she had first asked to accompany her mother to Monday evening sessions at her backgammon club. :You're up kind of late for being just 11: she entered.

:its hard 2 tell how late it is cuz the sun doesent come up anymore: appeared on the screen.

_That's all about for true,_ thought Kimi. :Yeah. But me and my mom are going to do something about that soon:

:can u realy do that: came across the screen.

:We're sure going to try: answered Kimi.

:wow u must be some kind of superperson: came the reply. :who r u:

:I'm Kimi:

:cool im teri: was the reply. :mom says i shuld go 2 bed now:

Kimi looked over to the time display on the computer taskbar – 10:51. :Good idea: she typed. :Me too:

:ill be here tomorow 2 if u want 2 play more:

:I'll be here: Kimi entered with a smile. :See you then:

:goodnite superperson: appeared in the text box. :hope u save the world:

:Goodnight Teri: replied Kimi. :I hope so, too:

The text box then disappeared, signifying that Kimi's new backgammon adversary had logged off. Kimi did the same, shutting down the Intranet grid, then shutting off the computer. She took a last sip of her water and rose to move to the couch, pulling up a small blanket. _Interesting question,_ she thought as she patted her pillow a couple of times and reached for the small light on the table next to the couch. _Who am I..._

_Who is Kimi Angelina Hodge? Daughter? College student?_

_I'm a hard-working college student, halfway through courses leading toward my chosen career._

_I'm all about Nittany Lion, Second Year._

A smile crossed over Kimi's face as she lay in the darkened room. _I'm a Black Belt in Kempo Karate. _

_I'm the one and only Steel Swan!_

_I'm Liquid Murder!_

_The one—_

_The only..._

_I'm the only offspring of a Celler-Flesher marriage. The only one that's ever been._

_I'm Kim Possible's daughter._

_I'm a miracle—_

_All about nah._

_Heh...Z thinks I'm a miracle. Miracle enough to ask me to be Mrs. Z._

_I'm a fiancee—_

_All about betrothed to my beloved._

_Well, not officially. Not until I present to the 'rents._

_And not quite a **real** miracle. If that were true, I wouldn't have to bug Major Mark about firearm pointers._

_And I'd have a higher belt than my mom._

_But – I did save her once..._

_A fifteen-year-old Red Belt saving a Black Belt from two rotten Celler slugs who wanted her dead._

_And now...those same slugs are trying to make the whole world dead._

Kimi's brow lowered at the thought. _It's all about not on our watch._

She turned to her side, curling against the back of the couch, pulling the blanket over her shoulder and settling onto the pillow. "One extra-big order of whoop-ass, coming up..."

to be continued...


	12. Pro Bellum Paratus

**12. Bellum Paratus (Preparations for War)**

Training Day 1  
Thursday, July 10th  
8:12 AM.  
_Okay...I can do this...just haven't done it in a while. Need to stretch. Extension. It's not about the reaching the–forehead to the thigh—_

Kim leaned a little further toward her outstretched leg, bowing to her right as she sat spread-eagle on the exercise floor.

—_it's about–aiming the chin to the knee. Keep the back–straight – uurrhhh...strretch Kim, streeetchh...exhale...move slow, don't bounce...rrreeeaacchhh—_

She extended her arms along her calf, smoothing her hands toward her ankle, breathing out in little puffs as she stretched further. She resisted the urge to grab her foot as she flexed her fingers at it. She slowly let her head sink until her forehead touched against her thigh and held this pose for about 10 seconds, feeling the tension draining from the muscles in her shoulders and upper back. _I haven't stretched like this in weeks...but between dealing with everything not working and dealing with fights with street rejects with chips on their shoulders over their issues with Cellers...and trying to deal with what happened to Tina because of what Drakken and Shego have done...who's had time for even warming up, much less stretching ou—_

"You napping, or just stuck like that?"

Kim lifted her head slowly to a pair of feet in front of her, covered in a pair of Tiger Claw training shoes and white socks. Kimi was dressed in a pair of workout pants in Penn State colors – deep navy blue with a white stripe up each side. Her torso was mostly bare, covered only in a close-fitting grey "crop top" with a "racer" style back which left her shoulders all but bare, save for where the straps met in the back some six inches below her neckline and the strap of the black sleeve containing her Escrima sticks that lay across her back.

Kim lifted her eyes further to her daughter's crossed arms and slight smirk of playful defiant challenge. "You and I have always done different stretch routines." She made another short stretch toward her foot. "Speaking of...were you going to do one this morning—" she lifted a finger from her ankle, extending it in Kimi's direction "—or are you stuck like that?"

A bit of the smirk slid from Kimi's expression as she unfolded into a rudimentary stance, gyrating slowly and extending one rigid palm out in front of her. "I told you on the phone...already did." She shifted, bringing her arm back, curling into a fist as she thrust her other arm out suddenly in a punch. "I was warming up when you called at 6."

Kim slowly straightened into a sitting position, then began to bow again toward the floor between her legs, stretching her arms in front of her, her palms against the floor. "If you would have ridden—to the gym this morning instead of walking, I—could have made sure you did a proper warmup. Did you do your chambered kick exercises?"

Kimi responded to the query by turning slightly and bringing up a leg a bit to her side, bending at the knee. "Yep," she said. "30 seconds—" she began to extend her leg slowly in a series of kicking motions "—each leg—" she then whipped the leg out in a rapid-fire sequence "—twice. I always do those, since I work more with my feet than my hands."

Kim straightened again from the floor with an expression of annoyance. "Did you remember to do _any_ upper body warmups?"

Kimi shot her own display of exasperation at her mother's doubtful attitude. "Yes..." she sighed, adopting back into a preliminary fight stance. "Arm swings...wrist rolls—" she suddenly crossed her hands, pulling them back quickly into fists near her waist, then brought one up in a flat-hand swing across her chest "I remember everything you ever taught me."

Kim brought up a knee and rose to her feet, rolling her neck and shrugging her shoulders forward in an arc, feeling the tiny pops in her shoulder blades. "Well, we'll see in the next week how much you remember."

_We'll see how much we both remember._

Kim then turned to her daughter/student. "Tell me what Kempo means."

"Kempo is a system of Karat—"

"No. Tell me what the word means."

"What? It's a Japanese subset of—"

"No, _no_," Kim interrupted again, waving her hands. "The _word_, Ki. Tell me what the _word_ Kempo means. Okay, let's try something else. Tell me what 'Karate' means."

Kimi brought up her hands, turning her palms up as she presented them a bit forward. "...Empty Hands?"

"Are you asking me or telling me?" Kim shot back.

Kimi was a bit taken aback by her mother's stern tone. "Empty Hands," she repeated with more conviction.

Kim gave a nod of affirmation, but the serious note of her expression did not change. "Now...tell me what Kempo means."

Kimi mentally searched for a second. "I—" she stammered haltingly. "I'm...not sure. You never told me."

"No...I haven't," said Kim, "but that doesn't mean you shouldn't know it. In fact you actually should know it. You would have found it in the Tao of Kempo back when you were doing your Black Belt essay on _Yin_ and _Yang._ Kempo means, 'Law of the Fist'. Now...I've never told you this either...but would you like to know why I think that your fighting style is actually a contradiction of both of those concepts?"

Kimi shuddered a bit from her mother's statement as if she had physically struck her. "Contradiction? You taught me nearly everything I know about Karate...from Day One. Now you're going to tell me I've been doing it wrong all these years?"

For the briefest second, Kim's stern tutelary expression was erased by one of motherly compassion. "No, no," she shook her head slightly. "Not in the least. Don't take it as other than how it was meant. Your style is something that quite a few other people have told me they're jealous of. What I meant by what I said was, I think your style kind of...strays a bit from the basic philosophy of both Karate and the Kempo style..."

Kimi was still a bit perplexed. "I...I'm not sure I get what you're saying...you've always told me I do everything just like you taught me."

"And you do. You learn every sequence perfectly. You always have."

"...then I don't know what I'm doing wrong..."

"It's your application."

Kimi canted her head just a bit further, still dumbfounded by her mother's line of logic.

"Look at what Karate and Kempo mean," Kim continued, taking a step closer to her pupil, holding out her open palms, then curling her hands into fists. "'Empty Hands.' 'Law of the Fist.' Look at the common thread between the two...they both refer to using your hands...especially Karate itself. It's using hands, elbows, fingers and other parts of the body as weapons. Now look at your style." She patted Kimi's outer thigh firmly. "The main weapons in your style...aren't your hands. You just said it a few minutes ago. You work more with your feet than with your hands."

"Hands are good for blocks."

"It's more than that," Kim countered. "Grappling, punching, throwing. Your hands should be your first weapon in a fight, because they're the quickest thing you have. They're the _first_ thing you have...the first thing available to you. You know that. It's bad form to lead with a kick—"

Kimi squared a bit more toward her mother and her line of accusation, answering a bit more quickly. "I know that. I don't lead with kicks. That's a Junior Belt move."

"So is forgetting the basics. And when someone strays too far from those basics, anything they learn from that point forward is based in their own style...not the style of Kempo. Their moves from that point on, no matter how effective they may seem, are a corruption of the root style." Kim then held out a hand. "Give me your sticks."

Kimi complied after a few seconds, sliding the strap off her shoulder and presenting the black canvas sleeve.

Kim took the sleeve and held it up. "I'll tell you...I've watched you work with the sticks for years. You're nothing short of lethal with these. They're the shining star of your style—" she turned to place the sleeve on the floor next to a box holding a collection of books and other items, then returned to her daughter "—and they're also the main corruption of your style of Kempo. I want you to be lethal with what I taught you...rooted in the basics." She gave Kimi a rather hard pat on the upper arm, then grabbed for her wrist, holding up her hand rather forcefully and giving it a sudden shake to emphasize her words as Kimi's hand closed a bit. "I know you can be just as lethal with these...and that's what we're going to work on. You need to re-learn to rely on the weapons you were born with."

Kimi retreated her hand slowly as her mother released it. She searched Kim's expression, looking for some indication of the reasoning behind the steeled look in her large Celler eyes as she rubbed lightly over her wrist. "...why are you being like this...?" she spoke softly.

"Because of what we might face. I don't know what we'll be up against when we go to the Rift...and neither do you. That's why I want us both to get as ready as we can in the next week." Kim looked slightly up and to the side, thinking for a few seconds. "How much of the episodes with Monkey Fist have you ever watched?"

"I don't know," Kimi said. "Some..."

"That style he used in the show...that's a real style of Kung Fu."

"Monkey Kung Fu?" said Kimi with a bit of a giggle.

"Yes, Monkey Kung Fu," Kim repeated sternly. "It's called 'Tai Shing Pek Kwar'...and it's deadly. It focuses mainly on the upper body. You have to be ready, in case he's at the Rift...and if I know Drakken the way I do, he recruited Monkey Fist early on for whatever he's planning."

Kimi recovered a bit of her earlier bravado. "I'll be ready. Remember, I've gone through something like this before..."

"You mean Cairo? This is totally different...much more important. There's way more at stake."

"More important than you?"

The question broke a chip out of the mental armor Kim had set herself behind. "Yes, Ki. It's way more important than just me. It's about you too...it's about everyone you ever met...ever knew—" a slight pause – and Kim finished with a softer tone "...ever loved..."

The image flashed in Kimi's mind directly after those of her parents—

—_Zachary Matthias Corello._

Her gaze slid toward the floor, reaching for the back of her neck. "...and Shego's there, too..."

Kim bristled a bit, her brow lowering. "You leave Shego to me...there's not going to be any repeat of what happened in Cairo..."

Kimi shrank back at her mother's mention the result of her fight with the raven-haired vixen. "...that's low, Mom. I was just a Red Belt back then—"

"Yeah—" said Kim, holding up air quotes "—and Shego was 'just' a Brown Belt. You've gotten way better since then...you think Shego hasn't, too? I'm betting she has." Her voice and expression softened again. "After you got me free and went to look for Shego...the next time I saw you was when Shego had dragged you into the room after your fight with her. I didn't know if you were unconscious, or..." She reached across her body to clutch her other arm, as if she suddenly felt a chill. "...or worse. Seeing you on the floor like that...that image...that moment...it was the worst feeling I've ever had in my life, before or since. It's something that stayed with me, even after all this time...and it's something I don't ever want to feel again." Kim then returned to the box, beginning to reach into it. "That's what this next week is about...getting ready, so nothing like that happens again."

"Shego had that taser stick," said Kimi.

"Just another good reason to work on disarm techniques."

Kimi's expression firmed a bit. "I _know_ disarm techniques. It's just that Shego was better with the stick back when—"

Kim quickly turned to Kimi, her tone sharpening. "Okay, so you're going to learn _better_ disarm techniques—"

"That's why I learned the _sticks!_"

"She _beat_ you and your—"

Kim suddenly checked up, breaking her gaze on her daughter, looking down and away as she realized what finishing that sentence might impart in the mounting heat of the moment.

They stood for a few seconds avoiding each others' eyes, Kim's sudden silence and the air of the moment acting almost like a buffer zone between them. "Ki..." Kim began again softly, cautiously choosing her words, seeming to pick out random places on the floor around them to look at as she slowly lessened the distance between them, "...this could be the hardest thing we'll ever do...this is a fight to save the entire world...everybody." She then raised her eyes to meet Kimi's. "We don't know what's waiting for us at the Rift. We're...we're going to have to really work this week, to make sure we're on top of our game when we go."

"...no Mom..."

Kim's eyes focused a little tighter on Kimi's stare, wondering if her severed accusation had gone too far and had opened a chasm of defiance and parity in their common cause.

"...we have to work...together...to make sure we're all about top of our game."

It took about six seconds for Kim to give a single nod and raise her hand.

_There's the attitude of the Kimi Hodge I trained for fifteen years._

Their hands met in a loud high-five, clasping with a slight shake. _My young daughter has become a young woman. She's become one of my strongest anchors...and in a couple of weeks...she'll become my partner in a fight to try to save the world._

"Let's get busy," she said, backing away a few steps toward the box, her expression returning to Determined Teacher Mode and her confidence resetting into preparing for a fresh assessment of her daughter's abilities. She reached for a whistle on a nylon necklace and slid it around her neck. "Show me how many block defenses against a cane or club you can remember..."

The two then entered into a routine they had played out countless times over years of training during Kimi's ascent through the ranks of Kempo; the wise and knowing teacher and the eager-yet-attentive student. Kimi had come to know that during these sessions, the "mother" part of Kim would fade a bit, shadowed by the drive of the "teacher" to mold her pupil and impart her knowledge of the art.

While she was used to Kim exhibiting a bit of a hard exterior in her role as instructor and mentor, Kimi noticed that the drive of her teacher-mother seemed to have an even sharper emphasis on perfection this morning. Kim would call on her pupil to execute sequence after sequence, going through elaborate combinations of punches, blocks and swings, and giving a quick sharp bleat on the whistle when Kimi would show the slightest hesitation in carrying out the move that was called out or when it deviated in the least detail from how she had been taught. The interruption would be followed by Kim going through the move or combination in its entirety, step-by-step, going out of her way to point out her daughter's missteps in the sequence and the potential openings those missteps could leave for counter-attacks. She would then have Kimi go through the entire series of moves from its beginning, having her repeat it several times until she was satisfied that she had seated it deep into her memory to the point that it would fire simply from the subconscious rather than merely being remembered.

/xx/xx/xx/xx/

Toward the late morning, a man approached the pair at the far corner of the gym floor. Kimi recognized him as one of the Black Belt members of the base's Karate club that had been employed during her training for her mission in Cairo. Chet Ketcham stood about six feet in height, and while not slender, was able to contort his figure into what seemed like painful poses as a product of years of Yoga alongside his martial arts training. Chet told Kim that he was available in the afternoons, as Mark had managed to "wheedle his CO into relieving him of his PM duties." His arrival brought a smile to Kim's face as it meant an opportunity to continue at least part of their training against something besides punches and swipes at empty air, and would further sharpen their skills being employed against an actual opponent. He excused himself to head for the locker room, his Keatonite training suit draped over his shoulder.

Kim went to the box, pulling out an item made of a dense red rubber-coated foam and tossed it to Kimi. "Here."

Kimi caught the item in one hand. "...a sparring helmet?"

"You didn't think this would stay no-contact once we got a partner to spar with, did you?" Kim continued through her daughter's slightly fretted stare. "When I said 'get as ready as we can', I meant it."

Kimi tucked the helmet under one arm. "Speaking of...I've been all about work all morning. When do _you_—" she threw up a pair of air quotes "—'get ready'?"

"I wanted to see how much work you were going to need to get back into form. From now on, you'll be working your forms with Chet in the afternoons. My training will start tomorrow morning...and you'd better be on your toes." Kim then reached again into the box, looking for a book – and her next words as she fished through the box made her daughter's jaw drop—

"—that's when I'll be working forms against you..."

/xx/xx/xx/xx/

1:31 PM.  
Kimi stood toward the middle of the exercise floor, wiggling her hands loosely at her sides, trying to relax a bit. Trying to let the tension flow from her muscles. Trying not to seem braced for any kind of sudden, unseen attack—

A gloved hand landed from behind against the top of her right shoulder.

Kimi's eyes flashed to the hand. _Left hand – it's a right punch!_

The harsh touch on her shoulder fired the spark in Kimi's neural net.

She reached across her body, grabbing the wrist of her attacker with her left hand, shifting onto her right foot while turning a bit to her left and striking his knee with her left foot. As she retracted it, she quickly shifted her weight to that foot with the grace of a gazelle, releasing Chet's hand as she twirled clockwise, swinging her right leg in a sweep against the outside of Chet's leg, buckling him to one knee.

Kimi shifted back to her right foot and continued her rotation, scooting to her left and circling around behind her opponent to deal a crippling blow to the side of his head – but the piercing shrill of her mother's whistle froze her. She dropped her hand from Chet's shoulder and turned to her tutor, who stood some ten feet away, pulling the whistle from her mouth and crossing her arms.

Kimi took a step to the side of Chet, meeting her mother's interruption with a roll of her eyes and slapping her hands to her sides. "..._now_ what did I forget..." she sighed.

Kim shook her head slowly. "If only you had your principles down as well as you do that question this morning..." she moved toward the pair as Chet rose to his feet. "Ki, what is one of the main principles of Karate that I taught you through all of your martial arts training?"

"You mean the one about following through a move to its completion? The one that I can't seem to apply without being interrupted by the Whistle of that ancient martial arts master, 'Lau'd Se Tongue'?"

Kim let out a quick sarcastic chuckle at the pun, then returned to Serious Mode. "No, not that one...and you'll get to that point once you get through the moves cor-rect-ly. I'm talking about High-Low-Low-High. It's a key to defense during any attack. Strike high – check low...strike low – check high. When you do a strike, you need to keep the other half of your body covered from counters." She walked to stand in front of the suited Chet, turning to face away from him and patting the top of her shoulder to prompt him to grab at her in the same fashion he had done with Kimi. "The first part, you did right," she said, reaching up with her left hand to grasp Chet's wrist. "The reach was good, breaks the hold." She raised her left foot back, tapping Chet's leg just above the kneecap, where Kimi had. "The back side kick was good, right on the patella—" she then spun to her right, slowly swinging out her right leg until her ankle caught against the side of Chet's knee, holding it there "—but here's where you forgot High-Low-Low-High. When you did the Dragontail Sweep, where were your arms?"

Kimi brought her arms to about 45 degrees from her body. "About here? I was spinning to deliver the Sweep."

Kim nodded with a slight sarcastic smile of frustration. "Mm-hmm. At your sides, basically...leaving you wide open to just about any punch your opponent could come up with before you dropped him...or any counterstrike with a weapon if he had one. Or even to deliver a blow after he was on his knee." Kim turned to the position before the spin and brought her arms to about chest-high, her left arm under her right. "With your arms up and set before the Sweep, you're covered from any of that. You'd even be able to throw an Outward Sword Hand, a Whip, Back Knuckle or even a Hammerfist with your leading hand, or a good thrust punch or left hook with your trailing hand while using the leading hand for blocks. The last was good, though. You got around quick for a thrust punch to the head." She then backed away from Chet, motioning Kimi back into position. "Again."

Kimi moved to stand in front of the man covered in Keatonite and turned away from him, shaking out her hands again and standing for a few seconds and stealing a quick glance to her mother before huffing out a breath and settling into a relaxed stance.

Kim stood a few feet away, preparing to watch the technique after her tutelage. After so many years of working with her, she recognized the determination building in Kimi's expression, mouth slightly tightened and eyes set, the silver in her irises twinkling.

The hand on her shoulder lit the spark like pulling the trigger of a gun.

_Left hand – _

—_all about KILL IT._

She grabbed the hand with her left and immediately thrust her left foot back, driving it into Chet's knee. She released the hold on his hand as she whirled about, flinging the back of her right fist hard against his jaw. She continued to twist in a quick circle, throwing her weight into a full-swing left hook as she came around, both blows accentuated with sharp shrieks. She used the momentum from the punch to spin a third time, jumping and launching her right foot against Chet's head, screaming "eeye-AHH!" sending him tumbling to the floor.

Kimi landed in a wide stance crouched nearly to the floor and looked over her shoulder to Kim with the fiery silver glint still alight in her eyes.

Kim looked on, impressed and stunned. "That's...better?" she managed. "Not...true to form...but good execution."

Kimi sprang to her feet and turned to her downed opponent, helping him to his feet. "Form or not...it's all about nobody gets up from a triple like that. Sometimes deviating from form is necessary to adapt to the situation...and the element of surprise all but eliminates the possibility for counters. It's all about drop your opponent before they can put together a defense."

"She's right about that," said Chet, softly hefting the face patch of his training suit against the palm of his hand. "The transition between the back kick and the first punch was so quick, I didn't even have time to think about mounting a defense."

"That's true," said Kim, "but we're not really here today to innovate. We're studying form and application, and sharpening our skillsets." She picked up a towel hanging over the side of the box and tossed it to Kimi. "Let's break for lunch...you need a little time to cool down. You're too wound up, if you can't apply form when it's called for."

"All about agreed," said Kimi as she slipped the towel around her shoulders and removed her sparring helmet. "I can use an hour to go over that one book on—"

"No," Kim returned quickly as she began to move the box toward the edge of the exercise floor. "We have too much work to do. That's 20 minutes for lunch."

"20 minutes? That won't even be enough time to get over to the—"

Kim straightened from the box. "20 minutes...in the gym caf. We don't have time to be running all over the base for a bite." She returned to moving the box – but got about four feet and stopped as the red sparring helmet came sailing into the box with a loud slap.

She immediately stood and fired a rather fierce disbelieving stare at her daughter standing about 15 feet away, who threw up her hands slightly and shrugged. "Sorry," she said with a hint of sarcasm, "I would have walked over and set the helmet in there, but I had to throw it because I only have 20 minutes for lunch. I don't have time to be running all over the gym for a box."

Kimi then turned and walked away, muttering under her breath. "...guess we have enough time for yelling and slave-driving and turning the whole morning into lead..."

Kimi went to the gym cafeteria, picking up an electrolyte sports drink and a small bag of wheat crackers for quick replenishment during her short respite. She carried her dark pensive mood over to a table near the corner of the cafeteria, slumping into a chair and opening the bag of crackers, singling out one that had fallen from the bag and prodding it around the table in small taps with the tip of her finger. _Mom's been all about Hardline Karate Teacher Mode all day._

_Teacher? More like Shiznek-a-Tweak Karate Fuehrer. She's riding me like a stolen horse when I make the smallest mistake or don't jump right into whatever move she calls. It's like she expects Karate to be my life..._

_...well, its not my entire life...especially not lately. Getting home through three days of night, finding out Mom got beat up and almost killed at the Market by Celler-hater slugs, finding out the whole thing was caused by Drakken and Shego, finding out that Aunt Tina is dead because of what they did, getting proposed to on the night before we_—

_Aunt. Tina._

_One of our best friends is dead...and Mom blames Drakken and Shego for it...even if they didn't do it purposely._

_That's why she's been mostly Animal Tweakoid since the night we found out Drakken hacked the Conduit. It's Cellers that are behind all this death and destruction...and Mom is all about can't stand it._

_Because she cares that much. About everybody._

_She cares enough to want to do everything to get as ready as can be when we go to the Rift._

_She cares enough to want **me** as ready as can be._

Kimi looked up from the table to a window still filled with the unrelenting darkness.

_I'm all about get it now. Mom is right. This is bigger than Cairo. Way bigger._

_I've got to do everything I can to be ready when we go to the Rift._

_Karate isn't my whole life._

_But right now, it's the only thing that'll let me keep my life – and everything in it._

_Right now...it's Karate **or** my life._

_Time for this Swan to sharpen her eagle claws..._

/xx/xx/xx/xx/

2:03 PM.  
Kimi opened one of the double doors leading from the lobby and walked onto the large exercise floor toward her mother, who was moving through a set of stances, making swipes and swings at the air. Kimi set the bottle containing her sports drink next to the box that had been pulled back onto the corner of the matted floor. "Whatcha doin'?"

Kim made a wide arc with her arm, bringing her fist close to her side. "I haven't worked out in a while. I'm just making sure I'm not still stiff from the thing in the Market."

Kimi nodded slightly. "Where's Chet?"

"He went to take a shower. He said it can get a little sweaty being in that training suit for a couple of hours straight. He wanted to be fresh for the afternoon workout." Kim then slid into another stance, thrusting both arms in front of her, her palms rigid, and pulling one back to her waist, then quickly trading positions with a quick jab. "How was lunch?"

"Filling, but unsatisfying," said Kimi, motioning to the bottle she had set down. "That and some crackers. Wha'd you have?"

"I didn't take a lunch," Kim said, tipping her head toward a similar bottle sitting on a folding chair next to the box. "I just got one of those out of the machine in the locker room. I wanted to use the time to get ready for tomorrow morning."

Kimi slid the towel from around her shoulders and let it drop to the floor near the box. "Yeah," she muttered as she plucked her sparring helmet from the box. "Nothing makes the day like looking forward to trashing your daughter in Karate..."

Kim stopped in mid-move, her leg about chest-high. She relaxed and walked toward Kimi, picking up the bottle from the chair and taking a drink. "If that's what you think this is about, you have the wrong idea. I'm not sparring with you to 'trash' you. This isn't a competition, Ki. It's not You vs. Me. I'm sparring with you because you know my style the best. You're the closest to my level out of the people available to be here on a daily basis."

"Chet's a Black Belt, too..."

"True, but he can't be here in the mornings, when I'll be training. And he's not as accomplished as you are. He said so himself." Kim took a long drink from the bottle. "Besides...it'll be more of a challenge to work with someone who knows my style as closely as you do." She took another drink, then set the bottle onto the chair and turned in the direction of the locker rooms as Chet emerged through the door, suited in the dull gray Keatonite. She gave Kimi a nudge on the arm. "It might also be a bit of motivation for you to remember your forms a little better if you're up against someone who can beat you by the book." She brought the whistle up from her chest. "Let's get back to it. Chet's back." She punctuated this with a quick bleat of the whistle.

Kimi slipped her helmet on and slid her fingers under it, brushing her hair to the side along the padding that covered her forehead and her cheeks within a couple of inches from her mouth. She studied her mother as she turned and walked to the edge of the exercise floor. _Fourth-Degree Black,_ she thought as she fastened the strap under her chin, _and I have to spar with her in the morning to help her get ready for the Rift. If she's this tough while teaching...ugh._

_Compared to that, it's all about today is nothing._

_Time to get sharp, Ki._

_Like diamond-laser sharp._

/xx/xx/xx/xx/

The balance of the afternoon progressed as before, with Kim's dogged scrutiny of her daughter's Karate technique. While the pace of the routines they worked through was just as intense, there was a major difference which Kim noticed almost from the moment they returned to their schedule; Kimi seemed to be on a higher focus, more defined and committed in execution of her sequences. The whistle which had threatened to become the bane of Kimi's existence during the morning was largely unused in the afternoon session, as she performed form after form with nearly flawless perfection, ofttimes interrupting the action and going back over her own missteps before Kim could give so much as a puff on the accursed whistle.

While Kimi thought that the increased level of effort would please her mentor, Kim's reaction to the improvement was instead to increase the level of expectation, quickening the pace of Kimi's training and heightening the intensity of the grey-suited opponent, instructing Chet to use more and more aggressive methods of attack to the point where both trainee and opponent were asking for short resting periods a few times each hour.

As the clock on the wall over the double doors indicated that afternoon was becoming evening, Chet touched to the points on his face that released his face mask and pointed out to Kim that he would need to excuse himself for the day to return to his quarters and his wife. Kimi turned to Chet and bowed deeply, placing her left palm over her right fist in a Kempo salute. "Thanks for coming out and helping," she said.

Chet pulled off his headpiece and ran his fingers through his matted hair. "Glad I could help," he said. "I almost forgot what a fireball you are. This afternoon was quite the workout."

Kimi blushed a little. "Sure was. I really feel...worked out."

Chet turned to Kim. "Same time tomorrow?"

Kim showed little emotion as she gave a quick nod. "Yep."

Chet stood motionless for a few seconds, his brow raising slightly as he looked at Kim – then set off in the direction of the locker rooms, walking at a brisk pace.

Kimi gave her mother a look of quizzical displeasure as she removed her sparring helmet and swiped her towel around the inside. "Thanking him would have been all about nice..."

"So would being here for another hour. I still had some things to go over."

"We...do have more than one day to 'go over things'."

"Maybe we need to pull in more people and get them working with us."

Kimi tossed her helmet into the box. "...maybe they won't be able to come out because they'd be worried about you putting their style under your microscope, too," she muttered under her breath.

Kim was in the act of removing the nylon chain from around her neck when she stopped, letting it fall back to her chest as she turned to Kimi. "Just what is that supposed to mean?"

Kimi wrapped her towel around the back of her neck. "You've been all about hard-line teacher today. More like Countess Hardline of Perfectionastan. Most people wouldn't like their style being picked apart like that."

"Yeah, well," Kim shot back, "I wouldn't have had to be so...'hard-line' if you had been less rusty in your moves...like...Princess Rusty of...Lower Noobopolis." She pulled the chain over her head and dropped it into the box. "You'd better be in better form tomorrow. It's going to be hard enough to train without having to stop and work you through each of the moves at the same time." She reached into the box and handed a book to Kimi. "Here. Read through this tonight."

Kimi took the book, reading the title aloud. "...'Tai Shing Pek Kwar: A Master's Art'. Think this will help?"

"It'll have to. We don't have anyone around here who actually knows Monkey Kung Fu. This is all we have. I read through it last night. It should give you more of an idea of what to look out for if we do run into Monkey Fist." Kim then turned for the entrance to the exercise floor. "Get a shower. I'll see you later."

"Wh...where are you going?"

"I'm going to get an equipment manager to lock up this box in storage until tomorrow. I don't need a shower...not now, anyway. I haven't really done anything yet."

Kimi nodded. "Okay," she said, looping her towel around her neck and stopping by the box to pick up her Escrima sleeve, then sliding it over her shoulder as she started in the direction of the locker rooms.

"Ki—"

Her name, though not sharply spoken as she had gotten used to through this day, was still loud enough to bring Kimi to a halt. She looked back over her shoulder to her mother. "Yeah?"

Kim hesitated for a second or two, fumbling slightly over her words, the tone in her voice slightly uneasy and acquiescent, her eyes alternating between Kimi and the floor between them. "I, just wanted to say, today...actually was good, considering, you know...everything else...and the fact that we haven't really worked together in, like...a year. We actually remembered more than I thought we would, given the circumstances."

Kimi's response wasn't immediate; a few seconds passed while she gaged the weight of what she took as her mother's apology for the day's harsh behavior. "I'll...be more on the ball tomorrow."

Kim looked up again from the floor, and for the first time today, a hint of a sincere smile lit onto her face. "I know you will, Hon." She turned back toward the doors, tossing a slight wave over her shoulder. "See you in the morning. Sleep well."

Kimi turned again for the locker room, the book in one hand, the ends of the towel on her shoulders clutched in the other.

7:42 PM.  
Kimi entered her quarters, leaning her Escrima sleeve against the side of the desk, and flopped down onto the couch. _All about beat. Mom really put me through it today...and tomorrow's going to be even worse. I feel like I've been run over. Too tired to even cook anything for dinner. Guess I could get by with some popcorn and some juice._

She made an effort to push herself from the couch and plod into the kitchen, taking a small bag of popcorn from the counter and getting a bottle of juice out of the refrigerator. _This'll work._

She returned to the main room, sitting at the desk. _Should check the mail, just in case Amy or Dani may have gotten back here and left a message. If there's no message, I can read that book until I fall asleep. _She shook the mouse a little to wake the computer from its sleep and entered the base Intranet, opening the mail program and scanning over the messages. _Nothing new. Nothing new since – geez, the last messages on here were when I stayed on the base for the training for the mission to Cairo...six years ago. When Major Mark said things were as they were the last time I stayed here, it's all about really meant it._

Kimi looked away from the screen in thought. _Hope they're okay. They probably stayed on campus up in Lehigh Valley. Amy wouldn't let Dani talk her into anything that would put them in any_—

Kimi's attention was drawn back to the computer by a small beep and a box in the lower corner of the screen. A _chat message? Maybe Mom has something more to say about the way she was acting today._

Kimi swept the cursor across the screen and clicked on the notification. The box became a larger text window with a message across the top; "Chatting with: teri". A soft tone sounded and a short line of text popped into the window. :hi kimi ive been waiting for u sence after diner:

_My 'gammon rematch,_ Kimi thought. _Don't know if I'm in the mood, after the way today went...and I still have reading to do about Monkey Fist._ :Sorry about that: Kimi typed hesitantly. :I had to work kind of late:

:i bet u did: came the reply. :saving the whole world is hard work:

:Sure is, in fact I was just checking my mail before turning in for the night:

:aw we gotta play ive been waiting all nite:

Kimi looked at the screen and blinked hard, reaching for the back of her neck. _I'm so beat...but I did kind of promise her..._

:cmon just 1 game:

Kimi's hand remained at her neck, gently squeezing as she brought out an extended exhale.

:pleeez: the plea came again.

:Okay. But just one game tonight. I'm really tired:

:ok:

The board then came up on the screen for a game. :u can go 1st:

Kimi clicked on the dice icon to roll her move and moved two of her pieces. _Don't know how I got talked into this...especially with how tired I am..._

The game progressed with Kimi gaining a slight edge. By the middle of the contest, Teri was waiting longer and longer for Kimi's response, several times eventually sending a notice to the screen, the beep of the computer shaking Kimi out of her losing battle against the insistence of slumber, raising her head from her hands or from the back of the padded chair and committing a move.

:u must realy be tired: came onto the text box of the game window. :maybe i shuld just let u win so u can get some sleep:

:I'm sorry: Kimi typed in response, :I'm even more tired than I thought:

:its ok: came the reply :we can play more this weekend if u want i dont think u play very good in ur sleep:

Kimi breathed out a small giggle. :You're right, I can't. Wish I could though, you're really good at the gammon:

:yeah but u need ur sleep cuz u need alot of energy to save the world:

_Yeah. Hope we have enough, _Kimi thought. :Yep. I'll try to make more time tomorrow if you want, and we'll definitely put some time aside on the weekend for more games:

:ok get some sleep superperson kimi:

:Goodnight Teri: typed Kimi – then a small smile crept onto her face. :And you can just call me Ki:

:ok goodnite ki:

The game window closed and then the small initial chat window, indicating that Teri had left the Intranet network. Kimi did the same, closing her mail program and logging off. It was a bit of an effort for her to drag herself from the desk and sluff to the couch. _I can wake up early and read, _she thought as she took a drink of her juice and sat again on the couch, bringing up her legs and pulling up the cover. _Tomorrow I'll help Mom sharpen up her moves...but as of right now, I'm all about done with this day..._

Kimi was fast asleep a mere moment after her head settled on the pillow.

/xx/xx/xx/xx/

Traning Day 2  
Friday, July 11th  
COTQ Quarters 1-H  
4:28 AM.  
Darkness.

Silence save for the rhythmic _tick-tick-tick_ of a small alarm clock, its luminous hands softly glowing as if smug about being the only light in the room.

The shape under the blanket on the couch slowly drew in a lazy breath differing from the slow drone of slumber – then the covers rustled, moving steadily downward to reveal uncombed auburn hair from a night's sleep. A hand lightly swept the bangs to the left in a woozy attempt to organize them or at least keep them out of the way.

Kimi slid her legs from under the covers and draped them over the front of the couch, swiveling to a sitting position. She reached for the clock on the table in front of her and brought it to her face, tapping a button on the top. _Just beat the alarm._

She replaced the clock on the table and slowly reached to her left for the mast of a floor lamp, feeling for the switch and turning it, squinting for a few seconds at the sudden light that greeted her. She rubbed her eyes and looked to the table at the half-eaten bag of popcorn and partial bottle of juice. _I guess, _she thought. _Dinner, continued as breakfast. _She reached for the popcorn, bringing out a small handful. _Where's that book I'm supposed to go over...no. It's all about tea first..._

4:47 AM.  
"_The style of Pek Kwar was developed by a master of northern Chinese Kung Fu named Ma Chi Ho. Prompted by a cryptic statement made by a Taoist priest in passing, Master Ma Chi Ho taught himself to direct his chi through his arms and legs. By filling his limbs with energy he created a protective aura around them. He learned to use his arms and legs in swinging and chopping motions similar to the movements of someone wielding an axe. Pek Kwar uses both circular and linear strikes and blocks, and requires flexibility for high kicks."_

Kimi stopped for a second, sipping from her tea and mentally going back over the footage of her mother's series she had seen that contained fighting scenes wth the Monkey Kung Fu master, Montgomery Fiske. _Yep...all about flexible._  
  
"_The Monkey style of Kung Fu originated in the early part of the twentieth century. It was developed by a master of Tei Tong Kung Fu named Kou Sze. Tei Tong Kung Fu consists of ground-rolling techniques and kicking and striking from low positions. Master Kou Sze was a fierce fighter. One day he killed an evil man in his village. Consequently Kou Sze was sentenced to eight years of solitary confinement in prison. From his prison cell window he could observe a troupe of monkeys in the forest near the prison. Over the years Kou Sze closely studied the monkeys' movements and behaviours. From these observations he created an entire Kung Fu system based on the physical, mental and energetic characteristics of monkeys. There are five separate styles of monkeys contained within the art. These are the Tall Monkey, the Stone Monkey, The Lost Monkey, the Wooden Monkey, and the Drunken Monkey. Each style expresses a different monkey personality type and form of movement."_

Kimi slowly brought a small handful of the popcorn from the bag at her side, tipping her hand to let a few of the puffy kernels tumble into her mouth. _All about a lot of monkeys, _she thought, reading on.

"_Master Kou Sze was friends with Pek Kwar master Kin Ming Kwai. The Ken family operated a successful bodyguard service in China. After Kou Sze was released from prison, Ken Ming Kwai sent his grandson Ken Tak Hoi to study with him. Ken Tak Hoi Served as a bodyguard in the royal palace at a young age, and he soon opened his own bodyguard service. Ken Tak Hoi became the proteg__é of Master Kou Sze and studied with him for ten years. Ken Tak Hoi was a master swordsman as well as a great chi Kung master. He combined the three arts of Monkey, Pek Kwar and Tei Tong into a style he called Tai Shing Pek Kwar."_

_...guess we'd kind of have these guys to thank if we run into Monkey Fist at the Rift._

She flipped forward a few pages, glossing quickly over the text. _So Monkey Kung Fu is mostly upper-body attacks, like Mom said...and mixed with striking from a low position. It's all about Crouching Tiger, Hidden Monkey. _She scanned a few pages deeper into the book. _This is mostly history and theory...not much about technique. Mom didn't say much about that. Where are the moves? The positions and sequences?_

Kimi dropped the book to the couch and glanced over to the computer desk, giving a small sigh. _Maybe the Karate club site on the Intranet might have something. _She rose from the couch, taking the popcorn and juice to the desk. She placed them to the left of the keyboard and sat into the rounded secretary's chair, reaching for the mouse and giving it a shuffle. The monitor leaped to life. She quickly clicked the icon to connect to the main site of the base Intranet and found the menu link to the Karate club. The window opened, with several people in fighting poses and the message "Welcome to the 111th Silver Dragon Karate Club" across the top in red semi-Oriental lettering. She went into the area marked "Literature" and clicked on the search box, typing "Tai Shing Pek Kwar". _Let's see what this gets me, _she thought as the screen brought up a list of articles.

5:56 AM.  
"_Hou Quan, literally 'Monkey Fist', can be traced back to the Han dynasty and is recorded in the Mi Hou Wu dance performed at the Emperor's court. Contrary to popular belief, there are actually a number of independently developed systems of Monkey Kung Fu. Traditional Hou Quan as taught in mainland China includes running on all fours, various difficult acrobatic movements such as flipping sideways in the air, front flips, back flips, back handsprings, hand stands, walking on the hands, forward lunges/dives, backward lunges, spinning on the butt, spinning on the back , and combined with many kicks and strikes. Most of the attacks are aimed at the knees, groin area, throat or eyes of the opponent and hand strikes are normally either open handed slaps or clawing with a semi-closed fist called the Monkey Claw."_

Kimi moved the cursor to the top of the browser window, highlighting the address of the article. _All about help, _she thought, copying the address and switching to the mail program, opening a new mail to her mother and dropping the article address into the text area. _Mom will want this one._ She switched back to the article window and continued reading.

"_There are five variations of Monkey Kung Fu developed as part of the Da Sheng Men system, and still utilized in the later Da Sheng Pi Gua system:_

"_**Drunken Monkey**_ _uses a lot of throat, eye and groin strikes as well as tumbling and falling techniques. It incorporates a lot of false steps to give the appearance it is defenseless and uses a lot of off-balance strikes. The practitioner waddles, takes very faltering steps and sometimes falls to the ground and lies prone while waiting for the opponent to approach at which time a devastating attack is launched at the knees or groin area of the opponent."_

_I've seen some of that, in the episode where Monty first gets his powers and he fights Ron..._

"_**Stone Monkey**_ _is a 'physical' style. The practitioner trains up his body to exchange blows with the opponent. Stone Monkey uses a kind of iron body method. It will leave an area exposed on its body for an opponent to attack, so it can attack a more vital spot on the body. It is important not to attack reflexively at open spots, and try to hammer away at their weak spots until they give in."_

_Hmm, not so much his style...but good to know anyway, just in case._

"_**Standing Monkey **__or __**Tall Monkey **__is a relatively conventional monkey that likes to keep an upright position and avoid tumbling around. This style is more suited for tall people. It is a long range style._

"_**Wooden Monkey**_ _mimics a serious, angry monkey that attacks and defends with ferocity. The attitude of this monkey is more serious, and its movements are noticeably less light than the other monkeys. Wooden Monkey likes to grapple and bring its opponent to the ground."_

_Yeah, that's him. All about Monty. This is what I was looking for—_

The electronic shrill of the phone on the desk broke Kimi out of her train of studious thought. She reached for the phone, thumbing the "talk" button as she brought it to her ear. "Hello?"

Kim's voice came through the earpiece, the tone a bit short and terse, similar to that of yesterday. :::Morning Ki:::

_Ooo-kay, maybe it's Karate Fuerher, Day Two, _Kimi thought, already a bit sour at the continued attitude. She decided to chalk it up to the early hour, giving her mother the benefit of the doubt. "Hey."

:::How'd you sleep?:::

"Not too bad. I got up kind of early so I could go over that book you gave me."

:::Ah. Good. Find anything in there that you think you can use?:::

"A little...but not too much on technique. That book is mainly history and theory. I looked on the Karate club site on the Intranet and found an article that goes more into sequences and stuff. I sent you the link in email."

:::Thanks. I'll take a look at it over breakfast. Were you going to ride to the gym with us this morning, or were you going to walk again?:::

"I can ride in...if it would make you happy..."

There was a slight pause in Kim's speech. :::...make me...happy?:::

"Well _something_ has to...I just don't know what..."

:::Maybe being a little more of the Black Belt that I taught you to be and a little less of the one you've taught yourself to become. That'd make me happy:::

_I thought I was all about,_ Kimi thought. "I'll work a little harder on remembering to use the things I was taught."

:::See? There you go. I'm already happier. I'll let you get to your breakfast. Mark called a little bit ago. He said he'll be out front with the Hummer around 7. See you then.:::

"'K."

The phone clicked into silence. Kimi replaced it into the charger on the desk and returned to the article. _This'll be all about quite a day...Monkey Fist and Mommy Fist, _she thought, reaching again for the bag of popcorn and hefting a handful, jostling the kernels.

7:02 AM.  
Kimi was slipping on the second of her training shoes when there was a knock at the door. She stood from the chair, sliding it under the desk, picked up her Escrima sleeve, and walked to the door. She turned the knob and pulled back the door, and was met by a sight she had seen many times throughout her years of Kempo; her mother dressed for a day of active Karate training.

Kim was dressed in black sweatpants and a blue polo top which had been cut to midriff length, with a Meridian logo on the upper left chest. Her feet were adorned in a pair of black training shoes with the Sieto Kemmei Kai logo on the outer sides. To Kimi's surprise and a bit of relief, Kim's face wore a bit of a lighter expression than the rigorous day before. "Hi," she said. "Looks like you're ready."

"As I'm gonna be," Kimi replied.

"Let's go. I passed Mark in the hall. He'll be out front."

Kimi stepped through the doorway, pulling the knob behind her and followed her mother down the hall to the front door. Kim held the door open for her daughter, then joined her on the front stoop of the building.

Mark had brought the Royal-blue Hummer around to the front of the building, and exited the truck as the two women began down the steps to the sidewalk. "Morning Ladies," he called as he rounded the vehicle and opened both of the passenger doors.

"Morning," offered Kim as she slid into the front seat.

"Morning Major Mark," followed Kimi, climbing into the rear seat, setting her sticks between her knees.

Mark smiled and closed the doors, rounding the vehicle again, the strong headlights of the truck showing bright streaks on the legs of his jeans. He slid into the driver's seat and touched the switch to start the hydrogen circuits to the engine, then turned the key to start the engine.

He brought the truck to a stop at the end of the block and turned left. As he accelerated around the corner, a manila folder slipped from atop the center storage bin and slid onto Kim's lap, threatening to continue to the floor until Kim trapped it with a hand on her lap

"Nice save," said Mark. "I should have stowed that before we took off. That's some stuff that Johnny tracked down for Mike and I last night."

Kim shuffled the folder a bit to rearrange the papers that had partially slid from it. She picked out one of the papers and glanced at it. "Is this what I think it is?"

"Yep," said Mark, "it's a full list of what was stolen in the Flagstaff armory raid last month."

Kim read a bit down the list. "Two cases weather-resistant polarized goggles...you told us about those already...but most of this other stuff is just military mumbo-jumbo to me. AR-15s...FGM-148s..."

"Can I see that?" asked Kimi from the back seat.

Kim passed the list over her shoulder. Kimi ruffled the paper to straighten it before glancing down the list of items. "Desert Eagles...big handgun. .45," she said.

Mark nodded. "Yep. Standard military issue sidearm."

I know the AR-15, too," said Kimi. "That's a military assault rifle. I've fired one at the range at school. They're almost as mean as an AK-47."

"They sure are," Mark said, "but at least you don't have to deal with a foreign manufacturer to get one." He turned to Kim. "The FGM-148...that's a portable shoulder-fired missile system. It's called the Javelin. It has infrared imaging tracking...and night vision capability. The choppers will really have to keep an eye out for those. They're actually an anti-tank weapon, but they can be used to bring down a helicopter, like a Stinger would."

Kim screwed up her face. "Assault rifles? Missiles? Eesshh..."

"That's no joke," said Mark. "The fight at the Flagstaff armory was pretty intense. There were casualties on both sides...one of the Guardsmen lost his life in the attack...so did one of the Cellers."

Kim lowered her eyes to the folder, her brow furrowing. "...this is serious...more serious than I could have imagined..."

"Serious is right. You're going to need more than just Karate to get through this."

Kim looked up from the folder to Mark, waiting for what she began to expect after she learned the deadly potential of the list of stolen items, but still feared.

"I've scheduled some time for both of you at the firing range this weekend," Mark continued. "Ki is already familiar with firearms...but we need to get you through a crash course with them."

_That'll help,_ Kimi thought. _I'll feel better going to the Rift if we're armed. And even better if Mom's armed too._

Kim looked at the folder again. _Shego...with a gun. Might as well have the green glow...it'd be just as deadly as a gun if it were a real effect..._

7:14 AM  
Mark brought the Hummer to a stop at the front of the gym and slid the shifter into Park. "About the same time as yesterday?"

"Depends on how late Chet wants to stay," said Kim. "I'll call you when we're done."

"Okay. I'll be spending most of the day with Mike, going over the data Johnny got us and contacting other bases to get the word out about distributing the KISS suits to Cellers. Mike is still working on getting a Nightwing up here from Offutt by the weekend so it can be modified to carry the EMP device. They have a lot of modification to do to it and other vehicles to have everything ready by the time we leave for the Rift."

Kimi leaned forward in her seat. "...When are we leaving?"

"It could take up to three days to drive from here to the Canyon," said Mark, "and Wade wants us to leave a little time before the Conduit cycles, so he can set things as right as he can. We should have everything in place and ready by next Friday, the 18th. We'll leave early that morning. That'll put us at the Canyon sometime on the 20th...three days before the Conduit is scheduled to cycle."

Kimi didn't say anything as she sank back into her seat.

Kim also said nothing. Her eyes slid slowly to Mark, her brow displaying the new worry she carried upon hearing the closeness of their deadline. _Getting both Ki and I ready in Karate...getting myself psyched up to train with firearms...not to mention getting psyched up enough to fight against what could be hundreds of evil Cellers before we're done...and saving some for Shego...and we have only one week to do all this._

_One week to be as ready as we can._

Mark's voice stirred her out of her deer-in-the-headlights gaze. "I'll be a phone call away if you need me for anything. Chet should be by after lunch."

Kimi climbed out of the back seat of the Hummer and reached to open the front door. Kim turned to look at the door for a second, then back to Mark. Her expression indicated that her mind was working feverishly to process the load of tasks that lay ahead in the next week. "I'll call when we're done," she said softly.

Mark nodded with a slight smile as she turned to exit the vehicle. _A lot of stuff to work on before we leave – and adding firearms training is just adding to the burden. At least it'll only really be one of them training, since Ki is used to working with firearms. As quickly as Ki got used to them, her mother shouldn't really be a problem. After all, Ki just about grew up in her image._

_If there's anyone who can be ready and get this done, it's these two._

Kim stepped out of the truck onto the sidewalk. She was a bit startled as the front door slammed shut. She tried to cover with a sweep across her bangs as she recomposed herself, turning to Kimi. "That was loud."

"Sorry," Kimi apologized as the Hummer pulled from the curb, "I didn't think it would shut that hard."

Kim offered a quick smile and motioned to the gym. "Let's get inside and start stretching." She turned and began up the walk toward the building.

Kimi followed three steps behind, studying her mother's movements lit by the streetlamp and silhouetted against the lighting of the gym entrance as they approached the building. She watched the confident strides Kim took along the cement and the subtle sway of her hips. She made note of the swing of her arms as she walked and the trademark heart-shape of her hair, gently bouncing against her back and shoulders as she moved up the stairs. _Looks like Mom is all about over the fight in the Market, at least physically_. _That's good. Her shoulder really looked banged up...and that bruise on her face? Oooh, if only we had left school earlier. I could have been home to go with her that morning...and Liquid Murder would have made two big messes in the street if they tried anything. Maybe that would have made her attitude a little better._

Kimi missed a beat in her gait with that thought. _Yeah. Then all she would be worrying about is the Earth not turning anymore, Aunt Tina being dead along with a few million others, and the bunch of evil Cellers behind it all wanting to send the rest of us straight into the Sun._

_Frost it, Ki. It's all about enough to worry about without adding your mom's list on—_

"Ki?"

Kim was halfway in the entrance of the gym, looking back with a questioning expression to her daughter paused at the foot of the stairs. "Coming?"

Kimi shook her head for a second to clear her mind of her previous train of thought and shift her focus back to the morning's activities. "Yeah," she said, grabbing the rail and taking the stairs in a series of quick hops.

Kim held the door open and followed Kimi to the counter, where she asked to have someone move the box of their equipment out to the exercise floor. Kimi stood off to the side and a few feet back from the counter, trying to hide her apprehension about the morning's coming agenda, but the glint of uneasiness in her eyes and the nearly constant motion of grabbing at her elbows as she crossed her arms were a telling indication of her concerns. It took a tap on the shoulder from Kim to get Kimi moving toward the doors to the exercise floor.

Kimi waited at one corner of the large blue floor while Kim went to the locker room for a few towels. After a couple of minutes, a man came from the storage room with their box of equipment on a small cart. He recognized Kimi and began to move in her direction along the outside border of the floor. Kimi uttered a "thanks" with a small wave as the man set the box just inside the edge of the floor and leaned two folding chairs against it.

Kimi made a motion to reach to the box – but stopped as Kim emerged from the locker room carrying a collection of towels draped over one forearm. Her hair was now pulled back into a tight ponytail. Kimi straightened slowly as she took in the fluid movement her mother made as she approached, and she wondered how someone who could unleash so much power through Kempo could still put forth such a graceful presence and lithesome, flowing motion. She compared it to her own gait, which she self-described as having a bit more of a "toughness" to its appearance, brought on through years of muscle toning exercises and Kempo training.

Kim plucked two of the towels from her arm and laid them over the side of the box. "They sure got this out here quick." She slipped one of the remaining pair from her arm, offering it to Kimi. "Two for this morning, and two for later."

Kimi reached for the towel rather slowly, giving the same soft, semi-distracted "Yeah" she did at the foot of the stairs outside the gym.

Kim clutched the last of the towel just before it slipped from her hand, stopping Kimi's motion as the slack between them tightened and her eyes rose to meet those of her mother. "You okay, Ki?" she asked. "You seem like you're...almost somewhere else this morning."

It took another second or so before Kimi again swam to the surface of her thoughts. "...Sorry," she said, slowly resuming her tiny tug-of-war with the towel, "...just...a lot on my mind..."

Kim relinquished her control over her end of the towel, letting it slide from her grip. "I understand," she said softly while doing a quick mental inventory of her own list of concerns, "but we both have work to do today. Let's try to focus more on that for now." She then turned back to the box, reaching for one of the folding chairs leaning against it and passing it to Kimi with a small smile and a slight shooing motion. "We'll need about ten feet between us so we can stretch." Kim then turned, slinging the remaining towel over her shoulder and reaching for the other chair against the box, thrusting it outward with her hand to snap it open. She set it down next to the box and laid the towel over the back.

Kimi watched her mother for a few seconds as she slowly backed along the border of the exercise area, dragging the chair until she was about twelve feet away. She steadied the top rail of the chair with one hand and pressed on the seat with the other to open it. She draped her towel over the back of the chair and moved to stand a little over a foot to the right of it to begin her stretching, starting with slow circular arcs of her arms, stretching a little more when they reached overhead or behind her back, to the point of her hands grasping and wrapping around each other.

Their routines went on – 10, 15, 20 minutes in length. Even though she had seen her warm up countless times over the years, on several occasions this morning, Kimi would look over to Kim, at times even stopping in mid-stretch to study her mother's purposeful motions of extension. _Maybe she's saving those kind of stretchy moves to teach me when I get into the higher Black Belts,_ she thought.

Kim began to move her legs apart, her feet sliding before and behind her as she slowly sank to the floor in a "cheerleader's split", her palms cushioning her landing.

Kimi watched her mother's stretch to the floor. _What's the big there? I do that all the time. _She showed this to her mother and herself by launching into the same stretch, putting out her hands as her legs slid into a graceful split, bouncing slightly on the muscles of her thighs, a semi-smirk of confidence on her face.

Kim's eyes slid to her left to her daughter, and a sly smile slowly appeared along with a slight wriggling of her eyebrows. She then slid her feet together in the reverse of her split until she was mostly in a standing position – and Kimi's smirk melted from her expression. While the bottom half of Kim was upright, her upper half was still doubled over, her palms still against the floor, not having moved during the recovery from the split – until she reached for her ankles and slowly moved upward until they were grasping the back of her knees. She then slowly dipped her head between her knees, her ponytail brushing lightly against the floor in small swishes between her feet, her legs remaining straight the entire time.

_Well now she's just showing off._

Kimi recovered from her split in a more conventional fashion, rolling to her left until she could bring up her trailing leg and move to a sitting position. She continued her motion, reaching toward her ankles in a full stretch until her forehead was mere inches from the floor, her hands reaching forward, fingers spreading against the coolness of the material of the slightly padded floor. _Mmmm,_ she moaned silently, _it's all about this is the best part of morning stretching...the Exodus of the Knots. Just flowing out of me like—_

"You napping? Or just stuck like that?"

Kimi slowly raised her head and turned to Kim, who still had the smile on her face, and one palm and foot on the floor. The other leg was stretched toward the ceiling, her hand smoothed along the back of her thigh. "Y'know, I can roll up a towel, if you'd like a pillow."

Kimi brought one arm across the other and rested her forehead on her forearm, rocking slowly from side to side. "Yeah...she funny. Mommy funny..."

8:14 AM.  
Kim took a few short quick swipes at the air, shook out her hands, and turned to reach for her towel, giving her face and neck a quick swipe. She slung the towel over her shoulder and reached into the box, plucking out two red sparring helmets. As she straightened, she turned in Kimi's direction and watched her finish up a rather complex combination of punches and swirls. _Left Inward Parry, right upward Back Knuckle to the inside of the elbow—_

Kim slowly placed the helmets on the chair. Her eyes never left Kimi as she swept both of her arms to her right, splaying them out into two separate punches. _...clockwise circle with both hands...left Back Knuckle to the back of the neck and a right Hammerfist to the Solar Plexus. Palm up, of course. I never taught her this. Where did—_

Kimi arced her left foot low in front of her and planted it directly in front. She quickly whirled a half-turn on that foot, thrusting her right leg backward in the same direction, continuing the twist and throwing a quick punch at about waist level with her right fist. _Left sweep – turn – right back kick – turn – and Vertical Thrust Punch to the chest to finish him off._

Kimi straightened from her stance and turned to reach for the towel on her chair. She stopped after the first step, interrupted by soft applause behind her. "Sweet form, Ki," Kim said, dropping her hands and reaching for one of the helmets she had placed on the chair. "Good execution."

Kimi retrieved the towel and patted the end of it lightly over her face and the front of her neck. "Thanks."

Kim hefted the helmet in her hand a couple of times. "One thing, though...I've never taught you the Destructive Fans sequence. Care to share where you picked it up?"

Kimi patted over her forehead again. "There's a v-book that Zach and I would work from sometimes at school. It describes a lot of the more advanced sequences. We used to read over it after our sessions in the gym. We'd polish up on the standard forms, and try to pick up some of the others...a lot of them got good to me since they're mostly moves with—"

"—with the feet," Kim finished, rolling her eyes slightly. "I should have known." She tossed the helmet to Kimi and picked up the remaining one on the chair, slipping it onto her head. "I guess I can take that move to mean that you're all stretched out and ready to go to work this morning."

Kimi tossed her towel to the chair and donned her helmet, leaving the straps hanging to the sides of her head. "Depends on what you mean by 'work'..."

Kim cinched the strap into place at the side of her jaw. "Well this morning, 'work' will be you working on your upper body technique...and me working on defending against it."

"Meaning..."

"Meaning, what else? Hit me."

Kimi canted her head slightly. "You-mean, like, hit you with...punches?"

"Punches. Thrust, Cross, Jab, Hammer. Whatever works."

Kimi remained a bit hesitant. "What- what if I actually...you know...hit you?"

Kim shrugged. "Then...you hit me. That's exactly what I'm focusing on this morning...polishing up my defenses so I _don't_ get hit."

"...so...I won't have to worry about Retaliation Mode if I land one?

"Ki!" Kim almost shouted. "For the last time, this is not a competition. It's not You vs. Me. This is you throwing punches to work on your technique, and me blocking punches to work on mine. That's it. That's all we have to concentrate on this morning." She turned and took a few steps away from the edge of the floor, then turned back to Kimi, curling her hands in a "come hither" motion.

Kimi hesitated a few more seconds, then started out onto the floor. "'K...this'll be interesting," she smirked, fastening her helmet and tugging on the strap to tighten it. "Trying to give my Fourth-Degree Mom a third-degree workout."

"Now you're getting the idea. So bring it over here."

Kimi walked out onto the floor to Kim, stopping when she was standing within a couple of feet of her. She could see the look of concentration building on her face, along with the tensing of her forearms as her hands tightened, bracing to take action in response to the assault she was requesting. _Welp, this is all about what she wants...so it's all about what she's gonna-GET—!_

The quick lunge punch to Kim's midsection was just as quickly deflected with a swift downward cross-swipe of her forearm. Kim nodded once – and when Kimi didn't move for a few seconds – "What are you doing?"

Kimi loosened a little from her stance, standing a bit straighter. "Sorry. I was just...waiting for the counter. Guess it's just natural."

Kim was a bit surprised by her daughter's continued reluctance. "That's a good, um, nature. But it's not needed this morning. No counters. Remember, not You vs. Me. Just concentrate on landing a punch...and I'll concentrate on defending against it." She then brought up her hands a bit, repeating the "come hither" motion and moving into a preliminary stance.

Kimi returned to a ready position as well, curling her fists. _Guess I shouldn't complain,_ she thought. _This is a situation that a lot of kids dream of...where they have permission to beat on one of their parents. Doesn't fit me too well, though. I'm just doing what Dear Mommy-SAYS—_

Kimi's left-right combination was artfully defused with two more forearm blocks. Kim began to bounce a bit on her toes. "Nice form, Ki. Step up the pace a little."

Kimi lashed out with a left, which Kim blocked – and she suddenly had to duck as another left swing quickly followed, just inches from landing against the side of her head. "Whoa," she recovered slowly. "Didn't see that coming."

Kimi retreated sheepishly. "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry. Remember, it's my fault if I get hit. Keep going...and leave a little less time between moves."

_That really was a quick-__**follow**__-up, _Kim thought as she blocked a right thrust punch from Kimi. _I don't know why she doesn't like-__**working**__-with her hands. She's got good-__**form**__-and exe-__**cution**__._ Kim let out a soft grunt as she went through a series of swings from Kimi, matching her move for move with blocks and deflections. _I think maybe I should-__**be**__-glad that she's not using her feet-__**this**__-morning, too. She'd really be a handful...almost as much of a handful as __**She— **_"Ow!"

Kimi straightened from her posture as Kim put up a hand to stop the exercise for a moment, her other hand rubbing over the front of her right shoulder. "You okay?"

Kim kept her hand against her shoulder as she rotated her arm through its range of motion once – twice, checking for any twinges or catches. "I'm okay." She gave her arm another rotation. "Must just be leftovers from the fight in the Market. No big." She shook out her hand and moved a little to her left. "C'mon. Go again."

Kimi gave her mother a quick lookover to see if her motions might be masking any more serious injury – then stepped again into a stance, tightening her fists and curling slowly to her left to keep Kim square before her. "'K...going again."

Right. Right. Left-Right. Kim blocked another quick combination from her daughter. _These are good-__**solid**__-punches. She's strong. Even though I'm three belts-__**above**__-her, I might actually-__**be-**__in __**trou-**__ble if I didn't know her style so well-__**WHOA!**_

Kim raised her arm suddenly as she dropped her head back to put distance between it and the explosive left hook that Kimi threw. Even with the defense, Kimi's blow got through and nearly found its mark. The force of the punch pushed Kim's arm down, and even though she moved her head to evade the rounded punch, she still felt the points of Kimi's knuckles brush against the skin of her forehead.

Kimi dropped her rhythm, straightening from her attack. "Did I getcha?"

Kim rubbed lightly over her forehead. "Just barely...that's the closest you've come to my face yet."

"I'm exploiting your...weakness," Kimi said slowly. "Your right side seems a little slower than your left."

"Yeah...you might be right," said Kim, bringing up her right arm and flexing her hand a few times. "Must be because of the fight in the Market. I'll have to do some extra exercises this week to tone up. This workout will help, too, so don't let up on that side."

Kimi nodded and began to dance on her balls of her feet. "When you're ready."

Kim shook out her hands and crossed her arms against her body twice – then nodded and returned to a stance, tightening her reflexes. _Concentrate. Strengthen up the right side. Ki picked up on it in just a couple of minutes. It wouldn't take Shego that long._

Kimi circled a little to her right and flashed out with a right aimed at Kim's midsection, blocked again with a quick sweep of her arm. _Left side is all about covered...and even with her right side weaker, I can only get through with a right-left combo or a quick left double punch...but now she's seen both of those, so she'll be looking for them. And even then, I've only really landed one punch, on her shoulder. I need something else to—_

"Ki. You're spending too much time planning your moves. Don't think – feel – and act."

Kimi responded with a nod and a quick left – then a flurry of alternating swings, which Kim parried with an equally quick series of blocks, all with her left arm. _Okay...even right-left-right-left doesn't work...not with her left arm working that fast. It's all about lucky I'm not using my feet too, Mom. But then again, I guess I'm lucky she's not using hers...and that she's not countering whatsoever. I'm all about good...but still not as good as a Fourth—_

"Stop thinking about it!"

Kim's words coupled with a light yet purposeful shove to the shoulder broke Kimi out of her internal planning. "I almost have enough time for a nap between your punches. Less thinking – more swinging."

Kimi flew into a tight right-left-right combination, met each time with alternating thrusts of Kim's rigid palms, each punch making loud slaps as they landed against her hands. "That's more like it. C'mon, Ki, go!"

_Heh. Kigo,_ Kim thought as she blocked another hard right thrown by her daughter. _Fan fiction fantasy. Even if I was going to be attracted to another woman...that way...it sure wouldn't be __**that**_ _woman. Shego is attractive, physically, sure. But the evil that's between her ears is more than enough to keep me away from being attracted to anything else on her. Especially with what's she's done lately, with the upheaval of the entire world and the death of millions of innocent people._

_And Tina._

_Even with all the others, Tina's death alone is enough to justify going to the Rift to stop her once and for all. Even though I'm not attracted to you, Shego, we have a date...and nothing you can do is going to stop me from keeping it...and nothing is going to stop me from making you pay for what you've done to so many._

_You. Are. So. Gonna-**PAY**—_

The punches stopped.

"...Ki?"

Kim came back to full reality and looked down at her daughter now sprawled on the floor several feet away, holding a hand over her mouth. Her eyes were alight in pain and shock.

Kim took a step toward her felled daughter. "Ki! Oh my God I'm so sorr—"

She stopped as Kimi suddenly gasped and pushed away with one foot, the other half-cocked in the air, putting up a defense as if she was expecting another attack. She held up her other hand as well, visibly shaking. "I already paid, okay," she said through the hand still covering her smarting mouth.

"What?"

"'You are so gonna pay'. That's what you said."

"I said that out loud?"

Kimi rose to her feet, hand still over her mouth, and backed a couple of steps away from Kim. "Yeah. You did – just before you clocked me with a right. A _hard_ right."

"Ki...I was—" she stuttered. "...Let's take a break and have a trainer look at your mouth."

"Break!" Kimi shot back unbelievingly. She brought her hand away, looking at the smudge of fresh blood on her palm. She quickly brushed a tear from one eye with a finger before returning her hand to her mouth. "No. I'm going to see a dentist. I think you might have knocked one of my teeth loose." She immediately turned away, headed for the doors to the lobby.

Kim stood motionless, as if the horror of her present level of hatred for Shego breaking loose on her daughter left her unable to follow. "...Well please come back afterward and let me know—"

"Done for the day," Kimi swiped with a hand while still walking toward the door, her voice wavering from the pain of the sucker-punch right hook from her mother and the shock of surprising disgust at the incident. "Enough of You vs. Me."

"Ki! It's not You vs.—! I _said _I was—"

"Chet will be here later. He has protection, so you can trash him all you want."

"Ki, hang on a sec, I'll come with—"

"That'd be a _NO..._"

"Ki!"

The next answer Kim received was the banging of the door against the wall as Kimi flung it open and stormed into the lobby. It slowly sank closed, and Kim sank as well, her knees touching together as she slumped to a sitting position on the floor, her eyes still riveted to the doors as if she was waiting for some change of heart from her daughter and she would reappear through them at any second. After a few more seconds without that change, Kim's immediate hopes for the continuance of the intense training schedule with Kimi began to also sink as she lowered her eyes, looking into her hands. "...What have I done," she whispered.

Kim remained on the floor for nearly 20 minutes, her mind a tug-of-war between the fire of hatred that had grown for the black-haired foe from her show, and the alarming scene that was borne from that hatred, lashing out against the wrong person – someone who was anything but a foe. The battle continued with one set of thoughts fueling the other and intensifying the emotions accompanying them. She was brought to the extremes of those emotions several times, either to punch or pound the floor angrily, or to cave forward onto all fours to shed painful tears. The outbursts felt to Kim like an extension of the emotions she felt after the horrifying revelation that not only were Cellers behind the widespread carnage that had embraced the globe in the past week, but that carnage had been brought by none other than the ones from her show that had hatched so many cinematically-scripted plots of worldwide upheaval.

But this upheaval was all too real.

So was Kim's anger.

And so was Kim's pain.

Shortly before 9:30, Kim rose and slowly went to the lobby to have someone store the equipment for the day. She thought about leaving a note for Chet when he came to help in the afternoon, but remembered that the phones on the base were operational.

Kim thought that calling Mark so early in the day for a ride from the gym would no doubt prompt questions as to the premature end to the day's training activities which could lead to actions on his part that, while Kim realized the good-hearted nature that would be meant, she was just not in the mood to endure them so soon after the incident in the gym. Instead of contacting Mark for transportation, Kim walked the six blocks from the gym to the COTQ building, taking the time during the walk to further admonish herself for letting her feeling toward Shego manifest itself in physical form against Kimi, causing her unintended injury. She made a decision to temporarily detach the polishing of technique and execution from the base purpose of the training sessions. She also gave a silent prayer that this decision hadn't arrived too late to be put to use, hoping that any apology she would offer her daughter over the coming weekend would be treated as an olive branch rather than kindling.

111th Transportation Coordination Operations  
Bldg. 6, Office 108  
10:22 AM.  
The fingers flew over the keyboard, filling in fields of the form on the screen. To someone watching nearby, it would almost seem as if the words were appearing by magic. The peripheral actions of pressing the Shift key to capitalize a word or the Tab key to advance to another field were performed without the slightest break in the quick steady rhythm.

He could never definitively decide if he owed his typing reflexes to his years in high school and college classes in journalism, or his years of training in Yoga and Karate – but if there was one thing Chet Ketcham was thankful for, it was that either or a combination of the two blessed him with wickedly accurate abilities on a keyboard. An average of 110 words per minute with 100% accuracy, even with his large hands. It left him with one less thing to think about as he set about his tasks.

A pert young brunette leaned into the door from the corridor. "Chet, you've got a call at the front desk on 5104," she said, the perkiness of her voice matching her general appearance. In spite of the strict protocol currently in place, she wore her uniform rather casually, the first two buttons of her blouse undone, exposing the top half of her well-tanned cleavage and a wavy spill of hair falling alongside each ear from the nonchalant bun she had rather hastily arranged before coming to work.

Chet looked up from his screen, intrigued. "Front desk? It can't be from outside. Who couldn't look up my extension?"

The brunette shrugged. "I dunno. It's some girl."

_Maybe Atkins found someone to do his phone barking for him, _thought Chet as he nodded to the woman and she disappeared into the corridor, shutting the door. He picked up the handset and punched the numbers into the keypad to accept the call from the front desk switchboard. _He could have at least given her a copy of the base directory._ "TransCoordOps, Second Lieutenant Ketcham."

The voice in the earpiece was a bit subdued. :::Hi Chet, this is Kim.:::

Chet moved to set his elbow on his desk, his head resting on the hand curled around the headset. "Oh hi Kim. This is...kind of an unexpected call. What's up?"

:::Yeah,::: Kim replied with a kind of "You can say that again" air, :::this whole morning has been kind of unexpected. Listen, I was calling to tell you that you don't need to show up at the gym today. There was an...incident, and we called off training for the day.:::

Chet lifted his arm a bit from his desk. "Ooh. Nothing too serious, I hope..."

:::I don't think so...but I should know more by tomorrow.:::

"So things are kind of on hold?"

:::Far as I know, you can plan on being at the gym on Monday...unless you get another call. I'll let you know.:::

"Okay. I'll sit tight and be ready on Monday unless I hear from you."

:::Thanks Chet. Have a safe weekend.:::

"You too." Chet hung up the phone. _Hope everything's okay. Nah, they're okay. They're both Black Belts, after all. They know what they're doing. Even though they're going through some dangerous routines, they have a handle on their technique._ He turned back to the displayed form on his screen. _Now I have the afternoon to implement some of the stuff Atkins was asking for...and I can use some of the weekend to work a bit on logistics._

Quarters 1-G  
4:22 PM.  
Kim spoke in a low voice, her tone heavy with seriousness and colored slightly with emotion. "Ki...the thing you have to know, first and foremost, is how sorry I am about what happened this morning. Over the years that we've been working in Karate, I have repeated to you several times that I would never...ever strike out at you in anger or with the intent of harming you in any way...and this morning's training should have been no exception to or deviation from that.

"I will be the first to admit that the error was mine...the mistake was mine...and it was a serious one. It's one I've warned you about so many times. It was the mistake of letting your mind wander when trying to focus on your task. Even with the conditions we're under and the seriousness of what we're training for, our minds have to stay sharp...and even sharper with what we might have to go up against at the Rift. We have to work as a team...we have to work together, and be tight together. Things like this morning can drive a wedge between us. And that's the last thing we need right now. That's why I'm asking, if there is a way in your heart, for you to—"

A short series of electronic tones announced that someone was at the door. Kim quickly looked over the notepad she was holding, the page filled with hastily-scrawled sentence fragments, before placing it face-down on the desk. She turned from the tall mirror near the desk and walked to the door, sweeping her hands through her hair on the way as a second thought to arrange her unmanaged locks.

She got a bit of a surprise when she opened the door – and a bit of relief as well. "Oh...hi Mark."

"Hi," Mark replied. "Just relaying a message. Melfina has made up a good dinner tonight, if you're interested. Johnny and his wife are there, too."

Kim shied away a bit. "Oh...well, I hadn't really planned on...going anywhere tonight..." Her statement was true, as she was still wearing the outfit from the morning.

"I thought something wasn't normal when I stopped by the gym this afternoon. I tried calling you but there was no answer. I called Chet since he wasn't there either, and he said you told him not to bother showing up today...that...something had happened, and you had called off practice for the day."

Kim now turned away from Mark slowly, her eyes falling to the floor. "...yeah...I did..."

"Chet said that you didn't get real specific about what had happened...just that there was an...incident of some sort—"

"—there was," Kim cut in, still looking down and away. "Ki and I were training on punches and defenses and things were going well and I let my mind wander to everything else that's happened and all the evil that Shego has done, especially with what happened to—"

Kim's eyes closed and her face screwed into a pained expression which lasted until Mark placed a hand to her shoulder.

"...I hit her, Mark," came out soft and weak. She now turned to him, her eyes large and bleary, and gave a long gasp mixed with a sob. "I – I hit Ki – hard...right in the mouth." Her words came with some effort as tears began to run. "I told her to throw punches at me and all I was going to do was defend...nothing else. She was...she was reluctant even though I told her several times that I wouldn't counter at all. I started thinking about Shego and all the people that are now dead because of what she and Drakken are doing...and the more I thought about it, the madder I got, and...and before I knew what had happened, Ki was on the floor holding her mouth and there was blood on her hand and her mouth...she wouldn't let me come anywhere near her and she said I had knocked one of her teeth loose and she needed to see a dentist—"

Kim stopped and slowly moved into Mark's arms, weeping, the side of her head settling against his chest. "I hit her...I hit my daughter and I hurt her—when I told her to trust me—and when we have so much to do to—get ready...and I don't know if she'll ever—tr-UST me again..."

Mark gently patted Kim's back. "I'm not so sure it's as bad as you're making it out to be," he said. "The dentist said that one of her upper teeth was a bit loose, but he was able to immobilize it...and he gave her some drugs to reduce the swelling and any pain."

Kim looked up, wiping her eyes. "You...you talked to her?"

"She gave me a call from the dentist's office for a ride earlier this afternoon."

"Mark...you have to get a message to her for me. You have to tell her how truly sorry I am about this whole thing, and that it was totally my fault."

"Well...I don't know that that's the right move, given the situation..."

"You can tell me, Mom," came softly from the doorway.

Kim and Mark parted slightly and looked to the still-open doorway, where Kimi stood, her hands clasped in front of her. "It's all about no messenger needed."

Mark moved to the side as she slowly entered the room to within a couple of feet of Kim. She didn't know exactly how to interpret the approach, but in light of the morning's events, she fought a bit with her maternal instincts and remained at a conscious level of preparedness to be ready for whatever might come next. She could not bring herself to look straight at Kimi right away.

She was not prepared for what came next.

"Mom..." Kimi started.

"Ki," Kim cut her short, mentally reconstructing the thoughts on the notepad, "I want to say, first and foremost—"

"—Let me finish first," Kimi countered quickly, softly. "I've had basically all day to think since...since this morning...and I thought a lot about what happened...and I want to say...what you did...you know it hurt. _I_ know it hurt...but I also know that, even though the punch came from you..."

Mark smiled softly and began to back toward the doorway. He saw that things were moving toward what he thought was a necessary process of forgiving and rectifying, "Dinner will be in about an hour, you two," he said, slowly closing the door.

Kim nodded to Mark as they acknowledged his exit for a few seconds, then turned back to each other. Kimi blinked a couple of times before picking back up. "Like I said, even though the punch came from you, I...realize that it wasn't really you."

Kim now looked directly at her daughter. "What?"

"I know it was the hate for Shego behind that punch. You'd never hit me like that, just like I'd never hit you like that, even if you let me."

"...You almost did, a couple of times. Good thing I ducked."

"Especially that one where I almost got the side of your head."

Kim nodded. "You're wicked fast, Ki. All you really need now is to work on your technique a little." Her eyes left Kimi, drifting down and to the left with her shameful affirmation. "...and I need to work on not letting emotion take the place of motivation...a lot."

Kimi dropped her eyes a bit as well. "Yeah. Me too. I...kind of left the gym in a mondo hurry this morning...I didn't give you a chance to explain. I wasn't really thinking right then. We could have had this talk a lot earlier today if I had stayed around, or even had you go with to the dentist. Sorry." She now brought her eyes back to her mother. "You've helped me work on both my technique and my emotion through my whole life...and because of that, I can give back, and help you with the things you say you need help with. That's the only way we're going to get through this...by helping each other...by working together." She held out her hand. "...still teacher and student?"

Kim lifted her eyes back to Kimi and grasped her hand firmly. "Still teacher and student...both ways. Still mother and daughter...?"

Kimi's already softened expression melted into warm compassion, and she reached for Kim. "Always, Mom. Nothing could ever change that. Nothing's ever gonna change that."

Kim wasted no time in nearly throwing herself into Kimi's embrace, wrapping her arms warmly around her. "I so love you, Ki," she said, gently kissing her cheek.

"Love you too, Mom." Kimi returned the gesture to her mother, albeit a bit gingerly.

Kim pulled back to arms' length, studying Kimi's appearance after the devastation of the hooked right that morning. "How...how are you...?" she said cautiously.

Kimi retracted a hand to her face, tracing lightly over the left side of her slightly swollen upper lip. "Better, after the dentist. It took a while to get in, but once I was in the chair they worked pretty quick." She lifted her lip slightly to show her gumline. "They used a couple of drugs to numb my gums and to fight the swelling. It really doesn't look bad, considering, you know...how hard I got hit."

Kim winced for a second, then shook it off. "Um," she started meekly, "how...how's your teeth?"

Kimi's expression brightened a bit at mention of the dentist's efforts. "There was one a little loose." She lifted her upper lip again, pointing to the bicuspid next to her canine tooth. "Now this one—" She tapped lightly on her canine tooth and the premolar behind the formerly-loosened tooth "—is connected to this one and this one with a small bridge." Kim bent a bit and craned her head as Kimi tilted her head back and opened a little wider to try to show. She noted a small strip attached to the inside surfaces of three of Kimi's upper teeth, molded to their contours. "He said it's made of 'PFM'," Kimi said as her mother straightened. "Porcelain Fused to Metal. He said he or my regular dentist can check it in about a month, and it might come off then, depending on how much the tooth has tightened."

Kim's next question was also laced with caution. "Did...have you eaten anything...?"

"I haven't eaten since breakfast," said Kimi. Kim's brow began to twist into worry until her daughter explained. "There just hasn't been much time. Like I said, it took a little while to get an emergency appointment...it's all about go fig, right? Once I got into the chair, the dentist checked out quite a bit of stuff. Then after he gave me some painkillers and stuff for the swelling, I sat there for a while. He took some X-rays and did a partial impression, so he could make the bridge thingy. After he was done, he had me sit for a while longer until some of the drugs wore off. That's when I called Major Mark for a ride. It was about an hour ago when I finally got home."

Kim shied the slightest bit. "Ah, well. You must be starving. Guess that means that you'll be joining everyone for dinner..."

Kimi slid a hand over her stomach. "Oh yeah, all about. Major Mark told me about dinner when he picked me up. As long as it's not something really crunchy, I think I'm all about golden." She then made a slight sweeping point to Kim and her still-morning attire. "You...weren't going to go, like that, were you?"

Kim's mouth slid into a sly smile. "Mark _did_ say that dinner will be in about an hour. Plenty of time for a shower and fresh clothes."

Kimi swept the back of her fingers over her own clothes – clean black workout pants and a white tank top. "All about more than plenty." She reached for another hug. "I'm glad we cleared things up and that you forgive my behavior this morning."

_Nowhere near as glad as I am, Ki._ Kim again entered her daughter's arms. "I'm glad too," she said as they parted, "and you don't have to apologize for anything this morning. It was my fault that it happened."

A few seconds' pause – and Kimi nodded with a grin. "Okay." She turned for the door. "I'll go visit until you come down. Major Mark owes me a rematch in chess, and Melfina might want a little help with dinner."

"Did Mark say what Melfina is fixing?"

"No...but I know that it won't be bad at all. Even if it was bad, Melfina could make it good." She gave a quick wink. "She cooks a lot like you do."

Kim let a peal of laughter slip. "Who do you think taught me about cooking Flesher food, Hon?"

Kimi snickered in response, then walked out into the hall. "See you in a bit," she said, closing the door.

Kim stood for a few seconds before peeling off her cropped polo top. She tossed it to the arm of the couch and turned for the bathroom, curling her arms behind her to undo the clasp of her sport bra. She stopped at the desk, picking up the notepad and turning it over. _I worked on these notes for nearly two hours...and before I even got started on what I wanted to say to Ki, she comes out with her own apology that she didn't really need to say...and she not only explained her own actions, she explained mine as well. She pretty much apologized for both of us before I got ten words out for me._

Kim let the notepad plop down onto the desk and continued toward the bathroom, lightly patting her tummy and chuckling softly to herself. "Yep...that's one hell of a Black-Belted, college-educated daughter I raised..."

COTQ Quarters 1-E  
4:38 PM.  
The tall, alluring blonde sitting on the couch to the left of Mark leaned slightly in his direction, looking over the layout of his pieces on the board. "So how good is she, you think...?"

Mark studied his position before slowly sitting back on the couch and tilting his head to Melinda Wilson. "She's not bad. I imagine she gets quite a bit of exposure to chess in college. I think she needs to work a little more on seeing ahead and gathering in the overall picture though. She actually held a pretty tight position until she undid the linchpin and I went in with a bishop sacrifice that allowed a mate in four."

Johnny Wilson shifted slightly in his seat across the table, tracing combinations of future plays with his eyes and branches of sequences from them. He looked up from the board to Mark with a smirk. "I imagine you made that into a life lesson for her, too."

Mark's face spread into a smug grin. "Hey, she worked for it. How could I resist?"

Johnny and Melinda both chuckled softly. "And I'm just sure she was very grateful for the advice," said Johnny.

The three turned their eyes to the door at a soft knock. "That'll be them," Mark said, beginning to rise from the couch.

Johnny held up a hand. "I can get it," he said while sliding a bishop several squares across the board before standing. "You'll need the extra time to ponder the lesson I'm about to teach you." He stood and walked to the door, opening it wide and greeting Kimi with a grin as wide. "Oh look – it's Kim Possible Jr., come to call!" he beamed.

Kimi shook her head for a second as if shaking off the barb, then adopted her own expression of faux surprise and reached up to swipe her hand through Johhny's crew-cut head of orangish hair. "Oh look – it's Jimmy Olsen, come to greet me!"

Johnny laugnhed and placed a hand across her shoulders, bringing her close as he closed the door and they entered the living room. "Her wit's as quick as her Karate. There are quite a few eligible young bachelors that would be in trouble with that combination."

Kimi gave a quick smirk. "Not as much trouble as when my BF found out about them." The other three broke into laughter. Kimi pointed at Johnny as she smiled to Melinda. "Can you tighten the leash on this guy? He's harassing the guests." Melinda bent forward with a snicker.

Mark wiped at an eye. "Speaking of Possibles, where's the original?"

"She was just heading for the shower when I left. I said I was on the way here to see if Melfina could use any help with dinner."

"Your timing is impeccable, Kimi," Melfina's voice bounced from the kitchen. "You may come and take the baked potatoes from the oven."

Kimi perked and started for the kitchen. "Starch – that's the magic word."

Melinda giggled again, turning to her husband, who had sat to rejoin his match against Mark. "When this is all over and everything is back to normal, we need to talk to– what was her name, Misty? We need a visit from a Celler."

As Kimi entered the kitchen, Melfina turned from the stove with a smile and a hug. "Hello to you, Kimi," she said. "I have a pair of oven mitts for you."

Kimi donned the padded mitts, each with an image of an animated cat, and opened the oven door, taking out the tray of potatoes wrapped in foil and setting it on a large hot pad on the counter. As she closed the oven, she looked to the large covered earthenware pot simmering on the largest burner. "What's in here?" she said, reaching for the handle of the lid. "Anything I need to mess with?"

Melfina moved quickly to stop Kimi just before she lifted the handle. "That, my dear Kimi, is the main course of tonight's meal, and it shall remain a secret until it is served."

Kimi suddenly retreated from the pot. "Oooh. That must mean it's something good." She then smirked. "But it's all about d'uh. Like I told Mom, anything you cook is good."

Melfina gave a quick titter as she set a platter on the counter next to the hot pad. "I am glad and grateful that my cooking can bring such compliments from those who partake of it...and I can state with a high degree of confidence that this meal will be no exception to that."

"Aw, you gotta be kiddin' me!" boomed from the living room. Kimi laid her mitts on the counter and hurried to the living room with Melfina close behind.

The usual happy-go-lucky Johnny was bent deep over his side of the board, sliding his hand over his scalp and grabbing the back of his neck as he looked over the position after Mark's move. His brow was high on his head with the pain of realization, crowned with a series of worried ridges. "How could you move your Queen? You're gonna lose your Queen's-side rook without that protection."

His opponent sat back on the couch, his hands behind his head. "Collateral damage, Johnny," Mark smiled. "I'm not going to need it for what I'm about to do to you." He leaned forward to motion to his opponent's moved piece. "You might have been able to stave off the attack if you had kept your bishop where it was...but now it's immaterial. With my Queen where it is now, I'll just pick it off the second you bring it back." He then tipped his finger at his opponent's King. "And since you castled Queen-side after I had that Knight so advanced, you pretty much set your own trap. All I had to do was wait for you to lower your guard and open the door. Now it's just a matter of prying open your Queen's-side pawn structure with my King's-side bishop as the vanguard, and coming in with Queen and Knight."

Johnny ran his hand through his hair again, then reached to tip his King onto its side, conceding the game. "I don't get it. All the studying I do. All those books on chess tactics. All the hours I spend with the chess computer and all the online opponents...and I just can't find the edge against you..."

Melinda nodded. "He spends a lot of time trying to sharpen his skills to beat you."

"Chess is a game of planning and details," Mark said, "and the more details you can gather, the easier it becomes to formulate a plan. The key to gathering details is to look at every possible capture and check within a given position."

Melinda took one of the pawns Mark had captured from the table, studying the grain of the wood before looking to him. "And being a senior investigator must mean that the game of chess comes that much easier to you."

Mark slid into a somewhat satisfied smile of affirmation. "Annnd it gets me the big bucks."

"You're always a tiger in the field," said Johnny. "You're just as much a tiger on the chessboard."

Kimi walked to the coffee table, placing a hand to Johnny's shoulder. "He stomped me just like that a couple days ago. Just like you, I never saw it coming."

"And I pretty much told you both the same thing. Chess is about details and planning."

Melfina emerged a bit from the doorway of the kitchen. "In that same vein of conversation, the final planning for dinner is complete. The only remaining detail now is—" the electronic tones of the doorbell cut her short, and she walked to the door. "—please disregard the last of my previous statement," she smiled, opening the door.

Kim was modestly dressed in a dark blue Meridian polo shirt and workout pants in a lighter shade, short zippers opened to let the bottom of the legs flair a little. Her hair was immaculately arranged in full flourish. "I can smell the potatoes," she said, advancing through the doorway to give a hug. "I hope I'm not late."

"On the contrary, your timing could not be more poignant," said Melfina, returning the hug. "I was just about to commence gathering everyone to the table."

Johnny rose first from his footstool, followed by those on the couch. "That's all the hint I need," he said.

Kim entered the living room, where she was met by Melinda. The two hugged. "It seems like forever since I've seen you," said Kim.

"And you," returned Melinda. "Stressful conditions can make time seem to fly. Mark had a good idea in bringing you and Kimi back here. Time might be flying, but at least you're among friends in this wilderness."

"There are friends back in Eastgate, too. I just wish there had been room to bring them along."

"If there had been any way," said Mark, "they'd be here with us...but they're safe. William is well-armed and he has a Black Belt as backup."

"Well, given the circumstances, I'll have to take your word on that." Kim turned to accompany the others following Melfina into the kitchen.

The table was set for six, with extra chairs set at one end. Mark sat into one while Melfina continued to the stove, transferring the potatoes from the tray to the platter and presenting it to the table along with one of the oven mitts for the others to bring the potatoes to their plates. "Mark, would you assist me please?" Melfina positioned him at the stove to stand in front of the large earthenware pot while she brought another platter over and began to bring items onto it, both of them with their backs to the others and blocking the view of the stovetop's contents.

Melfina then turned around with the platter, a wide smile on her face. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I hereby present, tonight's main course."

A second of surprise – then the faces of those at the table matched the host's; six steaming lobster tails in a row. "Su-_goi_!" Kimi perked.

"A gift from Atkins," said Mark, returning to his seat. "He said it was his way of expressing gratitude for Kim and Ki stepping up for this mission."

Kim donned the mitt and reached for one of the potatoes, then held up her plate as Melfina placed the second platter in the center of the table and took a pair of tongs from it, plucking up one of the shellfish and placing it on Kim's plate. She then turned back to the counter for a small bowl containing wedges of fresh lemon. "Gratitude is just the word," said Kim as she reached for a lemon wedge and slowly squeezed it over her lobster. "Please pass ours along the next time you talk to him." She then took a few seconds to look over the richness of the food on her plate. "This is going to be perfect. Lobster always makes me a little sleepy. Tonight may be the first night I get a good night's sleep since we got here."

Melfina smiled as she placed a lobster tail on Mark's plate then turned to Kimi's plate. "It is good to know that my cuisine can have such a soothing effect."

Activity at the table came to a momentary stop as everyone turned to a distant roar from outside. "That'll be the Nightwing," Mark said.

"That's, like, a military Scramship?" asked Kimi.

"Yep, but much faster. It's actually the same kind of ship your mother was on when she came back from Cairo. It'll be carrying the EMP device to the Rift. They'll probably get to work in the morning modifying it to carry the device. I'll see if we can stop by the hangar on Sunday to check it out, and get a peek at the helicopter and the vehicle we'll be taking to the Rift."

"That'll be neat," said Kimi, motioning to be passed the bowl of lemon wedges. "One thing's for sure, this sure won't be a boring weekend."

"Yeah," said Mark. He then turned to Kim. "I hope that lobster doesn't make you want to sleep in. I'm setting up for an 0700 wake-up call."

Kim looked up from her potato she was gingerly unwrapping. "Hm?"

"I thought Ki would have told you earlier...I've got the three of us down for a couple hours at the firing range tomorrow morning. I wanted to introduce you two to the sidearms you'll be taking to the Rift and give you a little time to get acquainted with them."

"I...think that would be my bad," Kimi admitted sheepishly. "With the other stuff we were talking about, it...was all about kind of slipped my mind..."

"No real harm. At least we're all up to speed on it now."

Melfina leaned slightly past Mark. "...Kim? Are you alright? Is there something wrong with your meal?"

The others looked to Kim, who was now more than a bit pale. She reached to scratch at the side of her neck as a couple of beads of sweat appeared at her hairline. "No...no no, the meal is fine, I'm fine. It's...nothing..."

_The meal is fine because it doesn't shoot bullets,_ she finished in apprehensive thought.

to be continued...


End file.
